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Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2010 with funding from 
The Library of Congress 



http://www.archive.org/details/kennelsecretshow01perr 




SIR BEDIVERE. 



KENNEL SECRETS. 



HOW TO 



BREED, EXHIBIT AND MANAGE 



DOGS. 



By "ASHMONT." 



J^' ^^- 




BOSTON: 

J. LORING THAYER PUB. CO. 

1893. 



3^7^^ 



o 






COPYRIGHT, 1S93, BY 
J. LORING THAYER PUB. CO. 



Printed and Bound in the United Stages 
►■ OF America. 



PRESS OF ^ J PETERS & SON 

3& D c.fe to f .! 1 a n B C ij u v x )j 1 1 1 , Tyi-e-Setters anu Ei.eoteotyi'ees 

. . • BOSTON. 145 High Street, Boston 



" When some proud son of man returns to earth, 
Unknown to glory, but upheld by birth, 
The- sculptor's art exhausts the pomp of woe. 
And storied urns record who rests below. 
When all is done, upon the tomb is seen, 
Not what he was, but what he should have been. 
But the poor dog, in life the firmest friend, 
The first to welcome, foremost to defend, 
Whose honest heart is still his master's own. 
Who labors, fights, lives, breathes for him alone, 
Unhonor'd falls, unnoticed all his worth, 
Denied in heaven the soul he held on earth; 
While man, vain insect! hopes to be forgiven, 
And claims himself a sole exclusive heaven." 



NOTE. 



The design of this work and the results attained are so 
evident a formal introduction is unnecessary. 

Possibly the elementary character of many of the pre- 
cepts given will occasion surprise, yet all must agree that 
it is over trifles that they are likely to stumble, especially 
where health is involved. 

Not a few popular beliefs have been antagonized, but 
seldom other than those which owe their force to antiquity 
and repetition. 

Mystical speculations and ungrounded theories, cal- 
culated to invite confusion, have been excluded in so far 
as possible ; and the measures advocated are such only as 
rest on bases proved sound by observation and experience. 

Every important subject that has engaged attention has 
been fully discussed, generalities being held practically 
valueless and misleading. The simplest language has 
also been chosen and needless technical expressions 
excluded, to favor ready understanding in the least experi- 
enced. 

Nature's apparent methods, effects and requirements 
have been dwelt upon at considerable length with a pur- 
pose of protecting the kennel from drugging, as far as 
may be, and displacing the common tendency to it by reli- 
ance on hygienic and dietetic agencies. 

It is a pleasing duty of the author thus publicly to 
acknowledge his deep obligation to his highly esteemed 

V 



vi NOTE. 

friend Mr. Chas. H. Mason, for great kindness, sterling 
criticisms, many valuable suggestions and constant assist- 
ance in the revision of the manuscript, in which has been 
incorporated much that was drawn from his vast fund of 
experience. 

The generosity of fanciers in providing materials for 
illustrations is also warmly acknowledged, and it is 
much regretted that all photographs furnished could not 
have been reproduced to appear herein. But the intent 
being educational purely, manifestly only the best avail- 
able specimens of the various breeds should be repre- 
sented. 

Notwithstanding his obvious reluctance to observe the 
time-honored custom and indulge in a preliminary discus- 
sion of his work, and his very decided preference to leave 
the reader to fashion his own conclusions as to its merits, 
the author is impelled to emphasize the exceeding value 
of these illustrations of dogs, being as they are perfectly 
true to life and of subjects which, with only an occasional 
exception, have reached the front ranks, while no small 
proportion are the nearest approaches to perfection that 
the world has ever known. Consequently these faithful 
portraits must alone contribute much towards advance- 
ment to hio-her standards. 



CONTENTS. 



PART I.— MANAGEMENT. 

CHAPTER I. 

THE NATURAL DIET. 

PAGE 

The dog of to-day. —Diet best suited to him. — Familiar faults in feed- 
ing. Quantity of meat required daily. — Influences which modify it. — 

Force of individual peculiarities. —Dangers of excess of meat. — Rela- 
tions between effects of animal and vegetable foods.— The right pro- 
portions of the ingredients of a mixed diet. — Allowances that should 
be made for existing circumstances. — Distinct lines on which to for- 
mulate diet-tables .....••■•• 3 

CHAPTER n. 

VARIETIES OF ANIMAL FOODS. 

Proportions of meat required by puppies. — Penalties for over-feeding. — 
Special value of raw meat. — Prejudices against it duly considered. — 
Relation between an animal's disposition and his food. — Meat and 
the scenting powers. — Important facts about common foods. — When 
horse-flesh is wholesome. — Milk in its various forms. — Eggs as a 
food and medicine. —Their action in health and disease. — Fish, how 
it should be cooked and served . . ^9 

CHAPTER III. 

VEGETABLE FOODS. 

Capabilities of dogs' digestive powers. —Special effects of vegetables 
on the blood. — The various starchy foods. — Wheat and its products. — 
Much about bread remnants. — Prejudices against corn meal. — The 
foundations for the same. — Right method of use. — Oatmeal, and its 



^5 



VIU CONTENTS. 

peculiar effects. — Rice, and its admirable qualities. — Nutritive value 
of barley and rye. — How starches should be cooked. — -The propor- 
tions of them allowable ......... 

. CHAPTER IV. 

DIETARY FOR PUPPIES. 

The right period for weaning. — Essential preparatory steps. — Various 
foods to be used. — Proper quantities of each. — Number of feedings 
demanded. — Of what each should consist, up to the eighth month. — 
The great secrets of puppy-raising. ■ — Means of preventing deformi- 
ties. — Many absurd notions combated. — P.uinous results of over- 
feeding. — Treatment of common affections by dietetic means . . 49 

CHAI^TER V. 

GENERAL DIETARY. 

The foods, quantities, and combinations for toys. — Of what each meal 
should consist. — Special directions for feeding the overweighty. — ' 
Rules against over-feeding. — Many valuable hints for novices. — How 
mature dogs should be fed. — The number of meals they should have. — 
Methods of preparing meat. — Quantities required under various con- 
ditions of life. — Foods that should be associated with it. — Requisite 
proportions of each. — Treatment of dainty feeders. — In total loss of 
appetite ............ 65 

CHAPTER VI. 

KENNELLING. 

The most primitive kennels. — Their glaring defects. — A suitable kennel. 
— The best situation for it. — Complete directions for builders. — Its 
various furnishings. — Absolute requisites to health. — To secure free- 
dom from vermin. — Method of fumigation by sulphur. — Important 
considerations in large kennels. — Precautions to be observed in stable 
quarters. — An efficient deodorizer ....... 81 

CHAPTER VII. 

EXERCISE. 

Physiology of exercise. — Baneful results of, too close confinement. — 
Yards for puppies. — Prime requisites. — Infinite importance of clean- 
liness. — Yards for mature dogs. — -Economy and efficiency duly con- 



CONTENTS. IX 

PAGE 

sidered. — Devices for exercising in cities. — How to estimate the 
amount of work imperative for puppies. — For the mature. — Special 
requirements for dogs in the stud . . . . . . -93 

CHAPTER VHI. 

THE DRINKING WATER. 

Dangers in foul water. — -Some important physiological facts. — Preva- 
lent theories that are unsound. — Symptoms caused by denial of suffi- 
cient water. — Excess rarely, if ever, to be feared.- — -One of the first 
essentials in all kennels. — Difificulties in maintaining healthfulness 
where there are many inmates.- — ^ Water for puppies. — Its peculiar 
beneficial action on digestion ....... 109 

CHAPTER IX. 

WASHING AND GROOMING. 

When frequent washing is imperative. — Injurious effects of cheap soaps. 

— The required articles of toilet. — General rules for washing. — Egg 
shampoos. — Necessary treatment after bathing. — Remedies where 
the coat is harsh. — Influences which greatly injure fine hair. — Abso- 
lute essentials to its health. — When it falls out. — The common 
causes. — ^ Safe and efficient hair restorers . . . . . .116 

CHAPTER X. 

TROUBLESOME INSECTS. 

Nature and habits of f^eas. — Agents that are obnoxious to them.— The 
most potent preventive. — Powerful flea-destroyers. — Insect powders. 
— -Tinctures of the same. — Cheap and potent solution of carbolic acid. 

— Real facts as to flea-soaps in general. — To afford relief from flies. — 
Sure remedies for lice. — For the removal of wood-ticks. — Treatment 

of kennels when infested . . . . . . . .129 



PART 11. — EXHIBITING. 

CHAPTER I. 

PREPARATORY WORK. 

The real danger of infection at shows. — Infinitely less than generally 
supposed. — Much of interest about distemper and mange. — Amount 
of work required. ; — Expedients where opportunities are limited. — Er- 



X CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

roneous notions that are productive of much harm. — How sporting 
dogs are often injured. — Medicines commonly used for conditioning. 

— Serious results which follow their use ...... 143 

CHAPTER II. 

THE FEEDING. 

Special requirements of common varieties. — The most nutritive and di- 
gestible foods. — Number of meals required daily. — The methods of 
preparation. — Forced or spoon feeding. — The feeding of toys in 
general. — An absurd notion dispelled. — The foods they should have. 

— How the same should be cooked. — At which meals they should be 
given. — The quantities and proportions of each. — Remedies to be 
found in the feeding-pan. — Dietetic treatment of the overweighty . 155 

CHAPTER III, 

CONDITIONING THE COAT. 

When the work of improvement should commence. — Character and 
amount of grooming required. — Expedient to be resorted to in ex- 
treme cases. — Special precautions to be observed in all instances. — 
Where novices are liable to be at fault. — The last wash before the 
show. — Formula for the best kennel soap. — Washing with eggs. — 
How to wash a Yorkshire terrier. — Each step in the process fully de- 
scribed ............ 166 

CHAPTER IV. 

TO AND FROM THE SHOW. 

A suitable crate. — Injunctions as to feeding while on the cars. — A 
mistake that has often proved fatal. — Choosing a caretaker. — Rules 
which he should observe. — A provision against mange and eczema. — • 
The return journey. — Precautions against the transmission of conta- 
gion. — Disinfection after home is reached. — Dietetic restrictions 
that are advisable. — The only medicinal treatment generally required. 177 

CHAPTER V. 

ON THE BENCH. 

The feeding. — When the appetite is impaired. — A common custom to 
be avoided. — The first essential to the maintenance of good condi- 
tion. — Before the judges. — Ring etiquette. — Grave mistake of many 



CONTENTS. XI 

PAGE 

exhiljitors. — Golden rule for all to follow. — Hints for show manage- 
ments. — Delusions about disinfectants. — Unwarrantable inflictions 
upon dogs and visitors. — ■ Measures of relief advised . . -185 



PART III.— BREEDING. 

CHAPTER I. 

SELECTION OF SIRE. 

Methods of the average breeder. — Glaring faults uncovered. — Why 
failures are so common. — The prime essentials to success. — Lines on 
which sires should be chosen.^ — Breeding sporting dogs. — Advan- 
tages of in-breeding. — Its pernicious effects. — Influence of the 
previous sire. — Unsound theories combated. — Where misalliance 
occurs. — Importance of pedigree. — Interesting experiments in hy- 
bridizing. — Valuable lessons therefrom . . . . . .197 

CHAPTER II. 

IN SEASON. 

Too early mating and maturity. — Effects on the mother. — On the off- 
spring. — Is mating at the first season justified? — The method of 
"shaping." — Maturing periods. — Signs presented during the "rut- 
ting season." — When to mate is possible. — Successful service. — 
Absolute essentials in both subjects of a union. — One common cause 
of great mortality among puppies. — Breeding at every season. — 
Obesity and sterility.- — When a cure is possible. — The treatment 
required. — The right condition for breeding ..... 214 

CHAPTER III. 

BEFORE WHELPING. 

Exercise during gestation. — Its infinite importance. — Essential precau- 
tions. — Signs of pregnancy. — Some pronounced absurdities. — Diet 
of the bitch in pup. — Highly instructive experiments. — The real 
effects of raw meats. — Bone-making materials. — The one that 
promises best. — The whelping quarters. — Important measures against 
worms. — Bed and bedding. -^ Popular fallacies regarding them. — 
Abuse of cathartics and laxative foods ...... 229 



xii CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER IV. 

TREATMENT OF THE MOTHER. 

PAGE 

First signs of whelping. — Companionship advocated. — Puerperal 
mania. — Hints for attendants. — Danger to puppies from crushing. — 
Measures of prevention. — Temperature of the whelping quarters. — 
Phenomena of labor. — After treatment of the mother. — Of the pup- 
pies. — The puppy-eating habit. — The various influences which cause 
it. — The remedy required in most cases. • — ^Diet after whelping. — Of 
what each meal should consist. — Constant liberty for the nursing 
mother 243 

CHAPTER V. 

CARE OF THE NEW-BORN. 

The favorable season for whelping. — Degrees of heat required by 
puppies. — -Fatal faults emphasized. — When the milk secretion is 
scanty. — Milk fever. — Foster mothers. — Considerations in making 
selections. — Nourishing artificially. — By various animals. — Weeding 
out litters. — When suffocated by the mother. — Impediments to 
nursing. — Remedies for sore breasts. — Poisoning by the mother's 
milk. — How it maybe detected. — Treatment of the mother. — Of 
the puppies ........... 260 

CHAPTER VI. 

EARLIEST PUPPYHOOD. 

Infinite importance of warmth. — A cause of many failures in breeding. 
— Ill effects resulting from sleeping-boxes. — Measures for the re- 
moval of vermin. — Treatment of colic. — ^ H^'giene of the puppy 
quarters. — Poisons generated in milk. — Grooming and washing. — 
Prevention of deformities. — Golden rules for fanciers. — Worthless 
puppies. — The destroyer to be used. — -Cautions against over-stock- 
ing. — Notions about teething. — Operation of docking. — The re- 
moval of dew claws ......... 281 

CHAPTER VII. 



Earliest education of puppies. — House-breaking. — Introduction to new 
homes. — Qualities essential in the educa,tor. —Right methods of re- 
straint and correction. — Perversity and self-will. — Power of kind- 



CONTENTS. xili 

PAGE 

ness. — Some very annoying habits. — The use of the wliip. — Happy 
effect of association. — Training of watchers. — A dangerous method. 

— The right way. — Retrieving and its advantages .... 304 

CHAPTER VHI. 

INTESTINAL PARASITES. 

The course of infection. — The most potent means of prevention. — 
Symptoms of worms. — Peculiar action of the pests. — How they 
cause death. — Post-mortem appearances. — Treatment of nursing 
puppies. — After the weaning. — Dangers in anthelmintics. — -Much 
of interest about santonin. — The first mixture to be used. — A stronger 
preparation. — Definite rules for estimating doses. — Relief in desper- 
ate cases . . . . . . . . ... -314 

CHAPTER IX. 

POTENT WORM-DESTROYERS. 

Directions for treatment of toys. — Areca nut. — -Its peculiar action. — 
Safety lines. — Rule for adjusting doses. — Best methods of adminis- 
tration. — Remedy for tape-worm. — General treatment for worms. — 
A shot-gun mixture. — Its preparation. — Influence of diet on worms. 

— Preventive measures. — Liability of infection in kennels. — Precau- 
tions vvrhich should be applied . . . . . . . .331 



P A R T I . 



MANAGEMENT. 




KENNEL SECRETS. 



CHAPTER I. 



THE NATURAL DIET. 



Men differ as to the origin of the dog, but all agree 
that he is of the family of carnivora and that he was a 
flesh-eating beast in his wild state. Admitting this em- 
inently plausible theory the question at once arises, Has 
domestication created or developed in him the power, 
which his master possesses in an eminent degree, of 
accommodating himself to changes of foods as to other 
altered conditions and thereby rendered him capable of 
subsisting quite as well on a mixed diet, of vegetable 
and animal substances, as he once did on a diet exclu- 
sively animal } Scientific reasoning and experience 
answer in the affirmative ; yet this solution is not uni- 
versally accepted, and there are many who, arguing 
mainly from structural peculiarities, insist that he is 
purely a flesh-eater still and that animal foods alone are 
suited to his requirements, 

3 



4 KENNEL SECRETS. 

The evidence to sustain this argument, which appears 
on anatomical investigation, merely shows that he is and 
has been fitted for flesh eating. And admitting him to 
be physically so constituted as to be able to derive from 
an exclusively animal diet all that is necessary to his 
support and health, he can scarcely be regarded now as 
other than omnivorous, or in other words as capable 
of subsisting on a varied diet made up of vegetable 
and animal substances, as on one entirely animal. 

Many centuries have passed since he was redeemed, 
and in all these he has been the companion and friend of 
man. Sharing as he has the mixed diet of his master he 
surely must have felt the force of habit, to which no 
animal can be insensible, and acquired at least a tolerance 
for vegetable foods if not an actual need of them. It is 
by virtue of this force that man becomes so truly om- 
nivorous ; and that inferior animals can do the same 
abundant evidence has been offered in the results of 
experiment?, which have shown that in respect to food 
changes in their nature have been effected and even 
hereditary forms of body suited to the altered conditions 
induced and perpetuated. Cats, for instance, have accom- 
modated themselves to a mixed diet and become similar 
in form to the herbivorous or vegetable-eating animals by 
considerable increase in length of their bowels over other 
members of their family yet untamed. 

It is certainly not reasonable to suppose that this power 
to accommodate to altered conditions in the matter of diet 
and to assimilate their forms is denied all animals but cats. 
Far from it, it is easier to believe that it can be acquired 
by all warm-blood animals, and that many of them that 
are now either purely flesh-eaters or vegetable-eaters 
would' become omnivorous had they wits to aid them 
or were they educated up to the changes. 



THE NATURAL DIET. 5 

Contrast the primeval condition of tlie dog with that 
to-day. Once he provided for himself, and the tremen- 
dous amount of exercise he was forced to take while 
searching for food gave him not only a voracious appetite 
but powers of digestion equal to any burden he could put 
upon them. Now he is fed regularly and given some exer- 
cise but not nearly the amount he had in his wild state. 
Surely he of to-day cannot have the -high health and vigor 
of his ancestors, nor can his digestive and excretory organs 
bear as heavy burdens as theirs were wont safely to bear. 
As a matter of fact allow the average dog of these times 
to gorge himself with flesh as his kind were accustomed 
to do of old, and indigestion, if not a severer penalty, 
would be exacted for even a single indulgence. 

But to enter into a discussion of this question is not 
at all necessary and would be simply a waste of time and 
space. The dog can safely be regarded as capable of 
digesting and assimilating vegetable as well as animal 
foods, and considering his race generally the conclu- 
sion must be reached that whatever may have been the 
food of his ancestors a varied and mixed diet now best 
suits his requirements. 

Since the maintenance of life and health is dependent 
upon the proper quantity and quality of food, since, also, 
those to whom dogs must look for their support possess so 
little certain knowledge touching the relations which the 
various food substances hold with respect to the structures 
and wants of their own bodies and the force of various 
influences to which they are subjected, it is not surprising 
that the subject of feeding is so often disturbing, nor that 
so much unsoundness of constitution and proclivity to cer- 
tain diseases have existed and still exist as results from the 
use of improper food. 

These evidences of how intimately derangements, dis- 



6 KENNEL SECRETS. 

eases, and mortality are associated with the supply of 
food have of course been mostly afforded by those who 
have kept dogs in such numbers that they have been 
obliged to make special provisions for them. And no 
doubt what sound practice may have been attained by the 
few among them in their choice and treatment of food is 
the result of long personal experience, which must in 
most instances have been attended with much disas- 
trous failure. 

Doubtless, it is universally admitted that animal food is 
absolutely necessary to the dog ; and it must generally be 
accepted that a varied or mixed diet is best suited to him ; 
a fairly good idea of the different substances which should 
make up this diet also prevails ; but beyond this the ma- 
jority of ownei's are sadly wanting. About the required 
proportion of the various ingredients they know little or 
nothing, and are singularly prone to be highly generous 
in the use of vegetable foods and sparing of animal food, 
whereas it should often be. the reverse. They are apt, 
also, to lose sight of the great difference in relation to 
both quantity and quality which habits of life demand, 
i.e. between the habits of those that are worked hard, 
as in the field, and those living lazy, luxurious lives, 
as house pets and watchers. They moreover make small 
account of the different requirements by the puppy and 
the mature dog ; and seem to be still less mindful of 
the fact that marked individual peculiarities frequently 
exist. Again, very many of them appear indifferent on 
the matter of cooking, which oftener than otherwise is 
imperfect, and in consequence the foods so treated not 
only fail of their purpose, but, acting as irritants, cause 
indigestion and other disturbances. Finally, with no 
small proportion of them combinations of the different 
foods are mere questions of convenience, they holding to 




^*-'****''^ 



DR. J. SIDNEY TURNER, F.L.S. 
London, Eng. 



THE NATURAL DIET. 7 

the notion that the all-important essential is quantity, 
and, food being food always, quality is a trivial matter. 
These are some of the most noticeable faults which appear 
in the practices of breeders of to-day, and in th'e face of 
them it is not surprising that failures are so frequent and 
such a large proportion of dogs are so often out of condi- 
tion if not the victims of' disease. 

The first point of essential interest and importance to 
be considered is the proportion which the several ingre- 
dients of the mixed diet should bear to one another. 
Unfortunately no rule which will admit of wide applica- 
tion can be fixed here, for the requirements are influenced 
by the age, amount of exercise, condition of health, 
seasons of the year, individual peculiarities, etc. A 
puppy, young and growing, needs in proportion a more 
generous quantity of animal food — milk or meat — 
for muscle and bone building than he will after he has 
matured and his structure is complete. During the hunt- 
ing season and while his muscles are being constantly 
drained as it were by his work a dog can not only assimi- 
late more meat, but actually requires a much larger pro- 
portion, than he that is kept much of the time on the chain 
and allowed but little exercise. This important fact can 
perhaps be given greater prominence by the assurance 
that an excessive indulgence in meat has much the same 
effect upon dogs as upon members of the human family ; 
and surely no one will gainsay that while men who work 
hard, as with the pick and shovel, can eat freely of meat 
twice and three times daily and be none the worse for it, 
were students, book-keepers, or others of sedentary occupa- 
tions, to attempt such a diet, in a short time they must 
become dyspeptic, bilious, and otherwise disordered. 

In estimating the daily quantity of meat some modifica- 
tion is allowable and often demanded according to the 



8 KENNEL SECRETS. 

physical condition. Considering the fact that this food 
tends to produce firmness of muscle with an absence of 
superfluous fat, while vegetable food on the other hand 
tends to increase the deposition of fat, manifestly in many 
instances of underweight it is advisable to give less meat 
and more vegetable food. In some instances, also, the 
requirements are the reverse of these, and, as always with 
bitches that are too fat, it is necessary to feed largely if 
not entirely on meat until good form is restored. 

This, by the way, bears specially on bitches that are not 
in-pup. And yet such treatment would be safe for those 
that were, provided with them the increase in the amount 
of meat was made gradually and there was a corresponding 
gradual increase in the .amount of exercise. But lest the 
reader draw wrong conclusions here it is urged that 
assuming the bitch to be one that had been accustomed 
to a diet consisting of about one-third meat, to put her 
on to all meat while she was in whelp would be hazardous 
were she afterward given the same amount of exercise 
which she had been having and no more. Furthermore, 
during gestation a bitch could not safely bear the amount 
of work that a dog fed entirely on meat must have had she 
been given but an average amount of exercise up to that 
period. 

In estimating the daily quantity of meat an allowance 
must be made for the season of the year, since the diges- 
tive and all other functions of the body vary under the 
influence of cold and heat — ^the former stimulating them 
and the latter depressing them. And manifestly were these 
variations ignored and the same quantity of meat given daily 
all the year around, diarrhoea and other disturbances of the 
digestive organs would be likely to occur in hot weather ; 
moreover, the tendency to skin diseases attended with 
intolerable itching would then be decidedly greater, in 



THE NATURAL DIET. 9 

consequence of the system being clogged with impuri- 
ties, which are inevitable where the excretory organs are 
unnecessarily taxed, as they always are when too much 
animal food has been taken into the stomach. 

Possessing as they do the power of accommodating 
themselves to changes in diet, quite pronounced indi- 
vidual peculiarities in relation to tolerance of certain 
foods must often be encountered in dogs, and these 
must be considered in estimating the quantity of meat 
required. 

For instance, toy terriers cannot bear much meat 
because they are peculiarly susceptible to its stimulat- 
ing effect and are quickly and seriously disturbed by an 
excess ; the results of which are an impairment of the 
integrity of the blood, a feverish condition of the system, 
skin eruptions and falling off in coat. 

Again, there are physiological drains upon the constitu- 
tion, such as that felt by the nursing mother or by the dog 
much used in the stud, and unusual demands upon it, as 
in sickness, which have to be provided for by an increase 
of the daily quantity of meat. 

It must be remembered, also, that in many morbid con- 
ditions this food must be almost wholly relied upon, not 
alone because there is a decided repugnance for nearly all 
other foods but because this is the only one that languid 
digestion can readily dispose of. 

Meat produces a greater feeling of satiety than any 
other food and forms a greater stay to the stomach because 
that organ is the seat of digestion and is occupied by it 
for a longer time. And this fact has a bearing on the 
question of quantity, for obviously a dog fed once a day 
only can dispose of and more than likely requires a greater 
quantity of meat daily than another given two or three 
meals each day. 



10 KENNEL SECRETS. 

It is plainly evident from this that dogs cannot be fed 
by rule, and that the proportions of ingredients of their 
diet must be intelligently estimated and varied according 
to existing circumstances. 

Before going further it will be well to compare briefly 
the relations and effects of animal and vegetable foods. 
The former are identical in composition with the struc- 
tures to be built up and kept in repair. On the other 
hand, although no such identity appears in vegetable 
foods, yet to a marked extent they agree in composition 
with animal foods, and all that is necessary for the human 
body at least can be supplied by the vegetable kingdom 
solely. But the process required for the digestion of 
vegetable foods is more complex than that required for 
animal foods, and while the digestive apparatus of man, 
built upon a more extended scale, can properly dispose of 
both kinds of foods with nearly if not quite equal ease, 
owing to its much simpler construction that of the dog is 
better adapted to animal than to vegetable foods ; and 
although it can successfully deal with the latter its capa- 
bilities in this direction are narrower than those of the 
digestive apparatus of man. 

In other words the dog is so constituted physically that 
he can digest both animal and vegetable foods, and from 
them when in correct proportions he will obtain all the 
nutritive principles required for the growth of his body 
and to replace the wear and tear upon its tissues. But 
although vegetable foods may contain all that he requires 
for these purposes, such is the peculiar construction of his 
digestive apparatus, unlike his master, it would scarcely 
be possible for him while under ordinary conditions to 
subsist on them alone, being unable to extract from them 
goodly proportions of their nutritive properties. Conse- 
quently, while it is perfectly proper to give him vegetable 



vecet: 



'ili be \' 
f anim:. 
u comv 



ked extent the 



;jOth animal and ■ 
proport' 
uired fo; : 
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.gelable foods n^ 
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i'.ui alone, 1.-'-:^:^ a..-.^^.- lu ■ 
^•ortions of thci"- ni'tritive r; 




J 



THE NATURAL DIET. II 

foods he should have animal foods as well, for were he 
deprived of them he would he likely in time to lose health 
and vigor. 

While the proportions of the animal and vegetahle 
ingredients of the diet cannot be fixed to suit all cases 
because of the many elements of variation, it can safely 
be said that where the former is meat one-third is about 
the right proportion for dogs in general that are not in 
training or being hard worked in the field. 

This estimate is based on "solid" meat and without 
regard to the water in which it is cooked, for that — the 
broth — is scarcely more than stimulating and only slightly 
nutritious ; yet it contains some important elements and 
should never be thrown away, but always used to soften 
the bread or other starchy food and returned to the 
meat. 

Now, in order to pass this point and reach a closer 
estimate one must be guided entirely by the existing cir- 
cumstances, and weigh in every instance the individual 
peculiarities, the conditions present, etc., etc. And what 
is of great importance he must duly consider the amount 
of exercise allowed, and accept without qualifications the 
rule that, within limits of course, the less exercise the less 
meat. 

For instance, a man has a number of dogs that he cares 
for himself, but he cannot devote much time to them 
because he is at business during the day, and Vv^hile 
absent they must be confined to the kennels. He is 
accustomed to let them out every morning and evening 
and allow them to scamper off into the fields for perhaps 
fifteen minutes, but rarely for a longer time, and this is 
about all the exercise they have except what they make 
for themselves in their yards or runs. The proportion of 
meat for them should be about one-fifth. 



12 KENNEL SECRETS. 

But supposing that this same man besides allowing his 
dogs their short morning and evening romps took them 
out every day for a sharp walk of half an hour. Then he 
could properly give them about one-fourth meat. 

Assuming again that he is less devoted to busi- 
ness, has much leisure and contemplates working his 
dogs, and besides their short outings mornings and 
nights he has them out for an hour every day, during 
which time they cover a good bit of ground, he would 
then need to increase the quantity of meat and make the 
proportion about one-third, or perhaps a trifle over this. 

Or if it was his custom, besides letting them out for a 
few minutes' frolic every morning and night, to give them 
a long walk on chain .every day, or slow work behind a 
horse for twenty or more miles, his dogs might have nearly 
three-fourths meat. 

While were they greyhounds and he had them in train- 
ing, or hounds that he was working hard in the chase, or 
pointers, setters, or the like, that were doing almost daily 
hard work afield, they might have a diet consisting entirely 
of meat. 

In a word, it is safe to assume that the more exercise a 
dog has the more meat he will digest readily and properly 
dispose of without ill effects. 

Apropos of this, some trainers of greyhounds feed with 
a large proportion of farinaceous foods and claim a good 
showing, but, as one writer has in substance said, this is 
not decisive, and even better results might possibly have 
been attained had an all-meat diet been given. 

There are breeders also who contend that more than 
one-third meat is demanded by all dogs, whether or not 
they are closely confined or being trained, or hard worked 
afield, while nearly as many insist that dogs on an average 
find ample support in a diet composed of six, eight, or 




MR. EDGAR HANBURY, 

HICHWORTH, ENG. 



THE NATURAL DIET. 1 3 

even a greater number of parts of vegetable foods to one 
of flesh. 

At this point it is well to remind the reader who is at 
either extreme that circumstantial evidence is by no means 
always conclusive. Also, that no two breeds, nor even 
two members of the same breed, are so constituted that 
the food suitable for one is precisely as suitable for the 
other. 

Now it is an indisputable fact that some breeders feed 
very largely on meat and their dogs do well. Not unnat- 
urally therefore they believe it to be the all-important 
food. On the other hand there are some who rely almost 
wholly on vegetables and starches, and they in turn are as 
strongly convinced that their diet is the only appropriate 
one for all dogs. 

A novice accepts the theory of the first and feeds on 
flesh, but he does not meet with the success which he 
anticipated, and his dogs go wrong in the course of a few 
weeks and eventually become wrecks. Another tries the 
other theory, and with much the same ending — his dogs 
in time going to pieces. 

The result of these unfortunate experiments would at 
first thought seem positive evidence that both theories 
were absolutely wrong, yet literally they proved merely 
that the diets employed were unsuited to the victims 
under the existing conditions. But had these dogs been 
placed under precisely the same conditions as those of the 
breeders whose radical views were accepted, then the 
results would undoubtedly have been different, and very 
likely each' novice would have become an ardent advo- 
cate of the theory he adopted. 

The fact is, there are many other influences which bear 
quite as heavily for or against the health of dogs as the 
dietetic, and one rightly fed may go wrong because of insuf- 



14 KENA'EL SECRETS. 

ficient exercise, improper cooking, damp, draughty quar= 
ters, neglect of cleanliness, foul drinking water, etc., 
while another fed indifferently, on food poorly suited to 
his wants, may yet remain in good health under kindly 
hygienic influences. 

Equally as correct conclusions regarding the potency of 
these influences can be drawn from the experiences of 
men, for they act upon them as on dogs. Sailors, for 
instance, on fairly long voyages are forced to subsist 
largely on beef and pork which are submitted to methods 
of curing that render them so indigestible the nutritive 
properties retained are in such form that a goodly pro- 
portion can be extracted only with exceeding difficulty. 
These meats, with biscuits — very often "weevilly" — 
and canned goods for only rare change, make up the most 
of their bill of fare. Yet where can be found a healthier, 
hardier class than this — and all due to the pure air they 
are in and the hard work they are required to perform. 
But put these same men on shore in close-built cities or 
towns, let them live indolently and on the same kinds of 
food they had on shipboard, and they must soon decline 
in health and vigor. 

On this subject man is singularly inclined to jump at 
conclusions. One calls attention to the fact that he is of 
a family of giants and that neither he nor any other mem- 
ber of it had scarcely any meat during childhood. He 
sees the city youngsters of to-day fed on mixed diet con- 
taining a large proportion of meat, and from this he rea- 
sons that their undergrowth and washed-out appearance 
are due to the meat. Yet he fails to realize that in his 
early years he doubtless consumed in the form of milk and 
eggs nearly if not quite as much animal food as they, and 
that in consequence of their peculiar situation in life these 
foods in fresh and pure state, and in abundance, are gen- 



THE NATURAL DIET. 15 

erally denied them, and meat is therefore substituted. He 
forgets, also, that he lived under very different hygienic 
conditions from theirs — he in the open country and in 
pure air, while they are in cities, which are rightly called the 
"graveyards of the human race ;" moreover, that from his 
mother or his father there came to him a sturdy inheri- 
tance, while to the youngsters he looks down upon were 
more than likely bequeathed infirmities which had been 
in their families for several generations. 

Men have theorized over their own diet for scores of 
years yet they are no nearer agreement now than they 
were in the beginning. One calls attention to the fact 
that Scotch Highlanders, the Irish, the peasantry of Italy, 
Spain, and Portugal, Chinamen, and other races thrive on 
oatmeal, potatoes, corn, chestnuts, olives, rice or lentils, 
with little or no meat, and that in Scotland a mountaineer 
will walk thirty or forty miles a day on oatmeal cakes or 
porridge with a little barley broth and a modicum of milk 
or butter, while an Indian palanquin-bearer will carry his 
burden twenty-five or thirty miles a day with only two 
meals of unleavened cakes and a little ^hee. 

Another points to the Eskimos, to the fishing popula- 
tion of Norway, and to the Peclicrais of the southern end 
of South America, who subsist most of the time wholly 
on animal food ; also to the fact that for months the 
hunters of the West have little or no food but the flesh 
of the animals they kill. 

What do these facts prove } Merely that man can live 
on vegetable or on animal foods. There is nothing con- 
clusive in all this. Neither the flesh-eaters nor the vege- 
table-eaters as a whole are superior races ; and it is a sig- 
nificant fact that when the East Indian rebellion against 
the English occurred not many years ago some of the 
hardest fighters among the Hindus were the sepoys who 
had been accustomed by the English to a mixed diet. 



l6 KENNEL SECRETS. 

All this in relation to man's diet, while seemingly for- 
eign, has a bearing on the diet of dogs, for he is singularly 
inclined to consider that their requirements are much the 
same as his own. But such reasoning is not always sound, 
for the dog is of a different order of animals and of dif- 
ferent structure, and although he has accommodated him- 
self to other than his natural diet there must be limits to 
his powers in this direction. Nor does it follow that if one 
man is right and his dog is doing well on some peculiar 
diet all others who feed differently are in the wrong. 

There is an old saw, " What is one man's meat is 
another's poison." Nearly all mankind to whom they 
are accessible can safely eat strawberries, but still now 
and then is encountered a person on whom they bring 
out a most annoying rash. Nature's first food for every 
child is animal — milk — and yet there are not a few peo- 
ple who are made ill by it. The Q.gg is certainly one of 
the most harmless of foods, nevertheless instances are on 
record where the merest trace of it has caused con- 
vulsions. 

But ignoring these idiosyncrasies, which are fortunately 
but rarely encountered in man, while if they exist in dogs 
they can scarcely be any more common, two persons sel- 
dom meet who are fond of and can digest with equal ease 
the same kinds of foods, and such being the case indi- 
vidual peculiarities surely must occur occasionally among 
their humble companions so often fed from the table. 

Another fact which has a bearing on the question under 
discussion is, that the immediate results of diet are by no 
means to be accepted as final. In other words, because a 
man or a dog apparently keeps healthy and strong for 
several years on nearly all meat or on nearly all vege- 
tables, it does not follow that the chosen diet is a 
suitable one, for it might be doing harm and hidden 



THE NATURAL DIET. 1 7 

changes be going on which must sooner or later result 
disastrously. 

And now to the conclusions. Physicians and sanita- 
rians after drawing from the accumulated experience of 
men under various circumstances have generally agreed 
that with healthy people living in the open country, not 
working very hard, and having an abundance of good 
wholesome vegetable foods, meat is not necessary ; while 
on the other hand it is necessary where the air is not pure, 
the wear and tear on the nervous system is great, and the 
work is hard. 

Practically the same conclusion must be reached with 
dogs after an intelligent study of them under various con- 
ditions. While their nature is such they must have some 
meat always, the quantity must be adjusted to the amount 
of work given them. And notwithstanding the potency 
of the force of habit which enables a dbg to accommodate 
himself to quite decided changes from his natural diet, if 
he has been very active and accustomed to much meat 
from puppyhood up, and the quantity of this food is sud- 
denly reduced and he is given a diet composed largely of 
vegetables, and allowed to continue to take as much exer- 
cise as usual, he will surely fall off in condition. Now 
apply the same radical treatment to another dog that has 
been accustomed to a vegetable diet and give him meat in 
large quantities but no more work, and evil results are as 
certain. 

Obviously therefore although men differ widely on this 
matter, and one contends that a diet of meat is best for 
his dogs, while another stoutly maintains that his require 
this food only in very small quantities and that vegetables 
and starches are nearly sufficient for their support, it does 
not follow that one or both must be wrong. 

Limiting the question to them both may be right,- for 



1 8 KENNEL SECRETS. 

the dogs of one because of being worked hard may actu- 
ally demand a diet largely of flesh, while the dogs of the 
other in consequence of being much confined may require 
but a small proportion of this food ; and neither kennel 
would do well on the diet of the other. But for either of 
the owners of these dogs to assert that his is the only 
true theory, and that it should be accepted by all, and the 
entire canine race, no matter how placed, should be fed 
accordingly, is manifestly absurd. 

With all the important elements of variation in mind 
the writer endeavors to deal fairly with the subject of 
diet, and while he recognizes fully that one dog may 
safely bear as much meat as two others that are getting 
the same amount of work, also that one dog ma}^ be able 
to take but very little meat without very hard work, while 
still another will do nicely for a long time without any 
meat at all, considering their race in general, as stated at 
first, he believes that where a moderate amount of exer- 
cise is allowed the proportion of one-third meat is ample. 
Also, that it can rarely fall below this except in cases 
where the confinement is close. While if the proportion 
of meat is increased above one-third there must be a cor- 
responding increase in the amount of work, otherwise 
the blood would likely become impure and the system 
deranged or diseased. 





CHAPTER II. 



VARIETIES OF ANIMAL FOODS. 



As stated in the foregoing, puppies while young and 
growing require in proportion a more generous quantity 
of animal food for muscle and bone building than they 
will after they are mature and their structures are com- 
plete. This does not mean, however, that they should 
have a greater proportion of meat than mature dogs, for 
while yet they are very young, milk will supply them with 
all the needed materials ; but it must prove insufficient 
after a time, and this comes much sooner with the large 
than with the small breeds. 

Narrowing the question to meat, as with mature dogs 
much depends upon existing circumstances. Manifestly 
a mastiff puppy requires more meat than a pointer, and a 
Yorkshire still less than the latter. Again, in all litters 
of reasonable size there are some that need more stimu- 
lating food than others, consequently they must be given 
larger proportions of meat. 

In solving this problem the age must of course be con- 
sidered, also the amount of exercise taken. For instance, 
in the first three months puppies are much less active 

19 



20 KENNEL SECRETS. 

than they are during the three following, consequently 
even were they able properly to digest large quantities of 
meat soon after the weaning they must not be given them 
lest their blood and systems be rendered impure thereby. 
But as they grow older and exercise more, and by this means 
more quickly eliminate the waste from their bodies, the 
proportion of meat can be safely increased, although in all 
instances it must be done gradually, and in some it will 
be found that the increase required from month to month 
need not be very great. 

It is absolutely impossible, therefore, to fix a rule to 
govern the proportion of meat for puppies. Considering 
them as a whole, however, also the quantity of milk that 
they generally take and the number of meals they have 
daily, it can safely be accepted that about one-fourth is 
near right for them after they are three or four months 
old. But as already intimated it should be larger where 
they are of the largest breeds, provided always the increase 
is well borne and the growth more rapid and sturdy under 
it. On the other hand, the proportion should be less for 
smaller breeds, many of which will thrive and keep healthy 
and strong on a diet in which meat only appears occasion- 
ally and then in small quantities. 

For excess in animal foods there are fixed penalties, 
and under some conditions of life they are more severe 
than for those of excess in vegetable foods. While the 
latter tends to the production of obesity, which in itself is 
a very serious matter, as with brood bitches, and to dis- 
eases especially of the skin, as eczema, the former strikes 
deeper, and lessens greatly functional activity and leads 
to an accumulation of impurities within the system. 

These effects were well illustrated in two mastiffs, bred 
by the writer, which a few years ago excited much interest 
in breeders of their variety, for the reason that they were, 



ANIMAL FOODS. 21 

as far as known, the largest pair ever raised from the same 
litter. Both were sold to the same gentleman, the dog 
puppy in the tenth week and his sister when eight and 
one-half months old. Their purchaser being an ardent 
believer in the theory that flesh alone is appropriate food 
for the dog, fed almost solely on it, and at the tenth month 
they were each accustomed to eat between four and five 
pounds daily. Marvellous development was the result, 
but it was attained at a terrible cost, for the dog died at 
maturity of what was called a cancerous disease, and his 
sister followed him in less than a year ; she, according to 
the report of her owner, " breaking out with fearful sores, 
wasting rapidly and dying after a short illness." 

It is reasonable to assume that these mastiffs living 
lazy, luxurious lives, were destroyed by excess of animal 
food. And it is a significant fact that the sister, which 
had been fed on a mixed diet until eight and one-half 
months of age, yielded to the excess after suffering from 
it for about the same length of time as her brother. 

While considering the evil consequences of excess in 
animal food attention can properly be directed to the 
effects of excess in foods properly combined and in cor- 
rect proportions. Among the most constant of these are 
disordered digestion, derangements of the bowels, vitiated 
secretions, torpid action of the vital organs generally, 
obesity, perverted nutrition, and as concomitants, fatty 
degeneration and organic diseases. Chronic or perma- 
nent distension of the stomach is another disastrous con- 
sequence of habitually overloading this organ ; which, 
while it is doubtless frequently acquired after, maturity, 
for obvious reasons far more often occurs during the early 
months of puppyhood. And it is well to add that once it 
becomes permanent it can never be overcome ; and in 
after life there is always a tendency to indigestion, nutri- 



22 KENMEL SECRETS. 

tion invariably suffers, and as a rule the victims are low- 
in flesh no matter how wisely and generously they are 
fed. 

The question of preparation of animal food deserves a 
passing notice. Undoubtedly flesh can be rendered more 
digestible by the means of cooking, and where that is 
rightly done, all things considered, it can justly be held 
as best under the usual conditions of life. But when the 
processes of cooking are faulty and the way in which they 
are conducted is indifferent, speaking generally, it is safe 
to say that meat in its raw state would be better suited to 
digestion, provided it was in a form which rendered it 
easily accessible to the digestive fluids — that is, if it was 
torn or bruised and in small pieces. 

Boiling is the method usually resorted to in kennels, it 
being the most convenient. Aside from the faults of 
practice it is open to some quite decided objections, the 
most pronounced of which is, that it renders the muscular 
fibre difficult of digestion whether the same is a mass of 
hard strings, as it were, or finely divided. Soups in which 
the meat has softened down and "boiled away" are highly 
nutritious, yet although broken up in minute fragments 
the muscular fibre is scarcely more digestible than it 
was while in one mass ; moreover these fragments are 
now enveloped in the gelatine of the meat, — extracted by 
the long continued high heat, — and this to some extent 
prevents their being acted on by the digestive fluids. 

Notwithstanding this lessened digestibility of the meat, 
dogs are capable of disposing of these soups to good advan- 
tage if the quantity is properly restricted, but if in excess 
much of them is unaffected during their journey through 
the body, and is therefore wasted ; and, besides, the diges- 
tive organs are very likely to rebel and become deranged 
in consequence of the imposition. 





k 



ANIMAL FOODS. 2$ 

As for fresh meats cooked for the table, unless of course 
a perfect contempt for culinary laws is exhibited, they can 
safely be regarded as quite well suited to the digestion of 
dogs, also, as containing the most of the nutritive proper- 
ties of these foods. And where dogs share the diet of 
their masters, or in other words are fed on scraps from 
the table, and the quantity of meat given them is ample, 
it is scarcely necessary to consider the question of quality 
or that of cooking. 

But considering the popular method of cooking meat 
specially for dogs and the want of care which so many 
exhibit in its application, the conclusion is inevitable that 
under certain conditions of life they should be fed on raw 
meat while those conditions last. 

That this may be accepted the fact is urged that no 
matter how scientific the process of cooking, alterations 
of a chemical nature are induced in meat and some of 
its nutritive elements are wasted. Were man perfectly 
familiar with all the inner workings of the dog's mech- 
anism, the demands in the way of food and the peculiari- 
ties of his organs concerned in digestion, then the problem 
of supply required for the growth and health of the body 
and to renew the loss from wear and tear, etc., might pos- 
sibly be worked out. But the dietician has yet to enter 
this province, and at present only rough estimates can be 
made, and a very wide margin must be left to cover the 
many conditions, fixed or accidental, of which little or 
nothing is known. 

Thus far experience has shown the writer that bitches 
in-pup which are occasionally allowed raw meat during 
the periods of gestation and nursing are stronger and 
healthier, give whelp to more vigorous puppies and prove 
better support for the same, than bitches fed entirely on 
cooked meat during these periods — that is, on meat 



24 KENNEL SECRETS. 

cooked specially for them. The reason for the superior 
qualities is of course problematical, but it would seem that 
either raw meat was more easily digested by them and 
more readily converted with less waste into materials for 
building, for renovation of the body, etc., than cooked 
meat, or that raw meat contained highly important ele- 
ments in better forms or more correct proportions for the 
work in which they were engaged, and to support them 
while doing it, than cooked meat. 

Experience has also shown that in many morbid states 
of the system not only is raw meat more acceptable to the 
digestive organs, but recovery takes place much more rap- 
idly under its use than it does under the use of cooked 
meat. And another product of experience is the fact that 
puppies to which raw meat is given often and judiciously, 
thrive better, grow in structure with greater rapidity, 
assume more massive proportions and are less frequently 
ailing than those given cooked meat only, although the 
quantity of meat is the same in both instances. 

But there is a bitter prejudice against the giving of 
uncooked meat to dogs because of the parasites which it 
sometimes contains. Beyond doubt this danger exists, 
for nations habituated to the use of raw meat are notori- 
ous harborers of tapeworms ; but still the writer believes 
that much greater alarm is felt than is justifiable. Man is 
as easily infected as dogs, yet among people of civilized 
countries cases of tapeworms are never frequent, — -in fact 
they are rare except in imagination, in which pictures of 
them are drawn by pretenders to medical skill, who have 
methods of their own for deluding their patients. And 
considering this rarity, also that cooking as often applied 
will not destroy the vitality of these parasites, raw 
meat cannot be nearly as fierce a menace as generally 
reputed. 



ANIMAL FOODS. 2$ 

This is true of the kinds of meat which appear on the 
table while yet partially cooked, or "done rare," as com- 
monly expressed, but there are evidently animal sub- 
stances — some of them are occasionally eaten by man 
— often fed out to dogs, from which far greater danger is 
to be apprehended unless they are first submitted to a 
boiling temperature. Among such are the hearts, livers, 
lungs — -called " lights " by many — paunches and other 
internal organs. Even greater danger lurks in the entrails 
of many animals ; and these, whether from sheep, cattle, 
horses or game, should be given to dogs only after they 
have been thoroughly boiled for the purpose of destroying 
what parasites are present. The brains of certain ani- 
mals, especially the sheep, are also a source of danger, 
which must exclude them from the diet until they have 
been treated in the same way as the entrails. 

These dangers from so many different sources can, 
however, be easily obviated by observing the simple rule, 
to feed to dogs, while yet in the raw state, only good, 
sound and wholesome beef or mutton, and thoroughly 
cook all other flesh foods allowed them. This religiously 
adhered to, the danger of parasites from animal foods 
will be very slight indeed and need not occasion any 
uneasiness. 

Breeders generally are much prejudiced against pork, 
and rightly so, for it is rich and burdensome to the diges- 
tive organs — in fact of all meats it is the most difficult of 
digestion. At the same time to what are called "scraps" 
by some and "cracklings " by others, which are the refuse 
of melting or refining, there can be no valid objection as 
an occasional ingredient of the diet of hardy dogs. But 
instead of giving them, as is sometimes the custom, as 
they are broken from the cakes, much the better way is to 
make soups of them and thicken the same with vegetable 
foods. 



26 KENNEL SECRETS. 

Although liver is nearly as deserving of prejudice as 
pork it frequently appears before dogs, and doubtless it is 
accountable for many mysterious attacks of diarrhoea, for 
it is one of the richest of foods and as difficult of digestion 
as it is rich. Considering which only an occasional and 
sparing use should be the rule. 

As for what are known as "lights," some writers recom- 
mend them, yet a person would not be likely to feed them 
to a house pet more than once, for they give the breath 
an intolerable stench, which can be accepted as unmis- 
takable evidence that decomposition occurred and advanced 
far before the stomach completed its task. 

In the giving of raw meat there are certain precautions 
to be observed which are well worth considering here. 
The dog commonly " bolts " the food placed before him 
largely because there is little if any necessity for him to 
do otherwise, but accustom him to foods which require 
mastication and the assistance of the saliva, and he soon 
shows that he has sense — or instinct — enough to know 
that he must chew them before he swallows them. In 
feeding raw meat the facts are often ignored that dogs 
have teeth for cutting and tearing, and that if the same 
are industriously used on this food it will be converted 
into a form favorable for digestion. As a consequence 
the erroneous practice of giving it to them in pieces but 
little smaller than the fist is a common one ; and to this 
can be attributed many of the digestive disturbances 
of which breeders have occasionally complained and for 
which they have blamed the food. 

It ought not to be necessary to urge that raw meat for 
dogs, old and young, that are fairly healthy and have good, 
sound teeth should when possible be put before them in a 
form which will make it necessary for them to cut, tear 
and crush it before it can be swallowed ; or in other words 




'"'^■; 



MR. WILLIAM WADE, 
HULTON, Pa. 



ANIMAL FOODS. 2^ 

it should be in very large pieces, and preferably attached 
to bones of good size. And when it cannot be obtained 
in suitable form it should be cut into small pieces 
or crushed with a mallet before it is fed out ; or if 
intended for puppies or for the sick it should always be 
minced or scraped. 

It will scarcely do utterly to ignore without comment 
that ancient idea that meat injures the dog's " nose." 
Where this food is given intelligently its effect upon the 
scenting powers is transitory merely and limited solely to 
the period of active digestion. In other words, after he 
has eaten his fill of meat, for two or three hours his sense 
of smell is less keen, but as soon as digestion is well 
advanced it is restored and just as powerful as before eat- 
ing. And it can safely be said that a sporting dog might 
be allowed meat from puppyhood until incapacitated by 
age* and his "nose" would not in the slightest degree 
fall off in consequence of his diet. But meat will injure 
this sense if it is given out of proportion to the amount of 
work or exercise, for then the dog is sure to become 
feverish and his " nose " as well as his general health must 
fail him. And where such failure has occurred in con- 
sequence of meat it has been invariably due to the lack of 
judgment on the part of the owners — they giving too 
much of this food and too little exercise. 

The habit of burying meat, so common among dogs, 
has been the subject of speculation, and two theories have 
been advanced in explanation. One is, that they do it to 
ripen it and render it more digestible — possibly, also, 
that it may acquire a richer flavor. Yet dogs often bury 
meat that is literally putrid, and the other theory seems 
the most plausible — that so great is their fondness for 
this food they will eat it in any form, and, like all animals 
of the same family, store away and conceal if possible for 



28 KENNEL SECRETS. 

the future what remains after their appetites have been 
satisfied or their jaws have tired from gnawing. 

The reader will do well to accept this solution of the 
problem, for otherwise he might assume that meat even 
in advanced stages of decomposition would be good 
enough and not impossibly preferable for his dogs. He 
may accept as a fact that all tainted meat is poisonous, 
although it is less so to dogs than to men because of their 
greater powers of resistance. In fact a quantity of food 
poison that would kill a man might not have any apprecia- 
ble effect upon his dog. But notwithstanding this there 
are limits, and of course no one knows where they are 
placed ; consequently the wisest and safest plan to pursue 
is to feed dogs on foods that are above suspicion. 

It is well to add that of all animal foods none undergo 
poisonous changes as quickly as liver, and when but 
slightly tainted it is extremely likely to cause severe 
diarrhoea. 

It is evidently a part of the plan of Nature that a rela- 
tion should exist between the general character of an ani- 
mal and its food, and in keeping with this flesh-eaters are 
in general bolder and more combative than the vegetable- 
eaters upon which they prey. The same relation also 
appears in animals that subsist on a mixed diet, and man 
affords one of the best illustrations of it. Assuming that 
he has been living on a diet in which the proportions of 
these foods are about three parts vegetables to one of 
meat, now let him increase the quantity of meat and 
lessen that of vegetables, and the chances are many that 
if of a refined and easy-going, well-balanced nature he will 
before many weeks show some gross qualities and become 
more or less peevish and exacting. And returning again 
to his original diet his good-natured disposition will be 
restored. 



AXIMAL FOODS. 29 

The same relation and about the same degree of inti- 
macy exists in dogs, and one quiet and gentle while being 
fed largely on vegetables will more than likely become a 
little bolder and perhaps be less good-natured towards 
strangers. And in this case, as in the other, the animal 
food acts as a stimulant and arouses the natural ferocity, 
which although evidences of it may under ordinary condi- 
tions be wanting yet exists in every flesh-eating animal. 

However, this action of meat upon dogs is not suffi- 
ciently intense to make it worthy of consideration ; and 
where they have become savage under its generous use, 
were the truth known it would doubtless appear that in 
nearly all cases they had been much kept on the chain at 
the time, and the perversion of nature was due far more 
to the restraint than to the diet. In a word, treat a doo- 
humanely, and his diet, no matter how generous the pro- 
portion of meat, wnll very seldom injure his nature. 

Reverting to the culinary preparation of animal food, 
it is again urged that when the popular method, boiling, 
is applied, in every instance the water or broth be fed out 
with the meat because this contains important elements, 
extracted during the cooking, which the body must have 
for its support, especially if under heavy drains, as during 
gestation and nursinsr. 

As practically stated, to occasionally vary the form of 
the meat in the diet from cooked to raw is advisable, but 
the latter can scarcely be wisely given with vegetables 
and starches, unless it is finely minced and so thoroughly 
mixed with them it cannot be picked oiit. Hence, when 
it is to be but a part of a feed, it should be withheld until 
the last, for the other foods might be left untouched — 
the keen edge of the appetite having been taken off by 
the much more palatable morsels. 

As for bones, they have rightly been called the dog's 



30 KENNEL SECRETS. 

tooth brush, for by means of them matters which accu- 
mulate on the teeth are largely removed. Those which 
are soft and can be easily crushed, as the body bones of 
calves, sheep, etc., should be given at frequent intervals, 
but hard bones endanger the teeth ; and the small and 
dense, which sliver on breaking, are especially forbid- 
den as likely to cause intestinal obstruction — an acci- 
dent which has proved fatal to many valuable dogs. 

A word as to horse-flesh. That of healthy horses which 
have been killed by accident or in consequence of acci- 
dent can safely be accepted as good food for dogs, whereas 
the flesh of horses destroyed by disease should be con- 
sidered dangerous, although of course it might not always 
be so. 

Meat with all its bearings having been freely discussed, 
there remain for consideration a few other animal foods 
of value in the kennels ; and these are milk, eggs, and 
fish. 

Milk, Nature's first food for a certain class of animals, 
necessarily contains all the elements required for the 
growth of the body, and therefore it must be placed high 
in the list of materials at command for feeding dogs — old 
as well as young. But while a perfect food for the latter, 
its value lessens as age advances because its important 
elements are so diluted with water ; and before a mature 
dog could obtain enough of them it would be neces- 
sary literally to swamp his alimentary canal. In fact, 
were it alone depended upon a dog of the largest variety 
would scarcely find support in less than a gallon of milk 
daily ; and this quantity taken continually would speedily 
injure his digestive system ; moreover, he would soon 
weaken unless kept much at rest, for while milk builds 
up tissues they cannot withstand very hard labor. 

But notwithstanding all this, new milk is a valuable 







.:f^. 




MISS ANNA H. WHITNEY 
Lancaster, Mass. 



ANIMAL FOODS. 3 1 

food for dogs of all ages, and beyond its supportive 
effects it has an admirable action on the skin and coat. 
And really no more solid rule can be fixed than to let all 
dogs make their breakfasts on it, either alone or thick- 
ening slightly with some of the starchy foods. 

Skimmed milk, as all must know, is simply milk that 
has parted with a certain amount of its oleaginous matter 
or cream, while its tissue-building materials have all been 
retained. It is therefore nourishing, and merely lacks the 
force-producing elements of the milk. 

As for buttermilk, this also contains all of any value 
except the fatty matter, while, like skimmed milk, it is 
scarcely less refreshing and nutritious than new milk ; 
and those who cannot afford the latter should by all 
means, in summer certainly, be well supplied with one 
of the others — the cost of which is but a trifle compara- 
tively — and give it to their dogs in generous quantities 
for breakfast. 

The difference between the skimmed and the new is not 
likely to be noted ; but buttermilk is at first less agree- 
able to the taste, yet a fondness for it is generally soon 
acquired, and it can always be gratified, for this milk 
is no burden to digestion, nor is it at all likely to affect 
the bowels unpleasantly, as many think it inclined 
to do. 

Some dogs take kindly to sour milk, and if so it can 
safely be allowed them in reasonable quantities, but 
breeders will do well to withhold it from very young 
puppies, although within the experience of the writer it 
only occasionally does harm. As for its anthelmintic 
powers, which are generally thought to be considerable, if 
it possesses any such they are of small account. 

This list of animal foods would be far from complete 
were eggs not included, for in conditioning the well and 



32 KENNEL SECRETS. 

feeding the sick they could scarcely be dispensed with. 
Like milk they contain all the elements needed to sustain 
nutrition, yet some of them are greatly in excess of what 
would be required for support, while other and no less 
important essentials appear in such small amounts that in 
order to obtain all his system demanded, were a dog of the 
largest size to live on eggs he would be obliged to eat 
very nearly two dozen each day. 

There is, of course, no truth in the popular saying that 
"an &gg is as good as a pound of meat," for in proportion 
to its weight it is equally as nourishing as meat, and no 
more. But it has qualities which in some directions make 
it more valuable as a food than meat ; and herein it greatly 
resembles cod-liver oil — for the yolk is very nearly one- 
third fat. In fact for medicinal purposes, the relative pro- 
portions of fatty matter duly considered, eggs are of no 
less value than that medicine. 

When " spoon-feeding " is necessary, as in times of 
sickness and once in a while in conditioning for dog 
shows, no other food can approach the ^g^ in impor- 
tance, being as it is concentrated and so easy of digestion 
that even if the organs concerned in the process are enfee- 
bled they are yet able to dispose of it speedily and advan- 
tageously. 

Again, eggs are most efficient accessories, for the rea- 
son that quickly and easily digested and absorbed as they 
are — except of course when in large quantities — they 
scarcely lessen the appetite for other foods, hence can be 
given in the morning, also at noon if required in special 
cases, and the evening meal will generally be as accept- 
able and taken with as much relish as if it were the 
only one of the day. Beyond this, nearly all foods can 
be fortified by them without their presence being 
detected. 



ANIMAL FOODS. 33 

In feeding the sick, the whites as well as the yolks of 
eggs can be given in all instances where the stomach will 
retain them ; and when vomited, if the yolks are removed 
and only the whites administered not only will they gen- 
erally remain on the stomach but have an agreeable, 
soothing actipn on its lining membrane. 

To a dog that has fallen off in coat and is under weight 
no better dietetic treatment can be administered than 
plenty of new milk with one, two, or more — according 
to his size — raw eggs, lightly beaten up in it for break- 
fast, and the same number at noon in about half the quan- 
tity of milk taken in the morning. And if he is a dainty 
feeder, when night comes another &g^ or two can wisely 
be mixed with his meat. 

If merely suffering from derangement a dog is quite 
sure to "pick up" quickly under this treatment, and he 
will very often do so even when down with disease ; while 
in the presence of good health raw eggs can be given fre- 
quently, with the assurance that the dogs will be all the 
better for the change. 

It is scarcely necessary to add that whether for man or 
dogs the eggs should always be fresh, for when stale, even 
if they have made no near approach to decay, they are far 
less easily digested than the new-laid. 

The subject of fish is one soon disposed of. All kinds 
that have been recently caught and properly cooked can 
occasionally be used in feeding dogs, but merely to vary 
the diet, for while nutritious, as usually served they are 
not very digestible ; moreover, dogs seldom show any fond- 
ness for this food and generally eat it under protest, as it 
were. 

When it is to be prepared specially for dogs the 
method to be employed is boiling ; and unless the fish 
are very large it is advisable to enclose them in bags 



34 



KENNEL SECRETS. 



made of thin and coarse materials before putting them 
into the kettles. 

After thoroughly cooking with a few vegetables the 
"meat" should be picked from the bones and returned 
to the broth, which should then be thickened with bread 
or some starchy food that has been well cooked. 





CHAPTER III. 



VEGETABLE FOODS. 



Many who have publicly discussed the subject of feed- 
ing have stoutly asserted that vegetable substances are 
absolutely unfit for dogs ; and the reason which the most 
scientific of them have advanced is, that these animals are 
incapable of digesting or converting into components of 
their bodies the saccharine and farinaceous matters yielded 
by such substances. 

While the matters in question are not digested in the 
stomachs of dogs, but pass down unchanged into the small 
intestine, experiments have proved that the fluids of the lat- 
ter transform starch into sugar with the greatest prompti- 
tude, and that it is then rapidly absorbed ; also, that if a 
dog is given meat with one of the meals, as oatmeal or 
Indian meal, abounding in starchy matter, while some of 
the former remains in his stomach for several hours, the 
latter immediately begins to pass into the intestine, and 
the whole of the starch even may have completely disap- 
peared in an hour's time. 

It is plainly evident therefore that Nature has made 
provision for the digestion of starchy foods. 

35 



36 



KENNEL SECRETS. 



But notwithstanding this, considering vegetable sub- 
stances as a whole, the fact remains that they do not con- 
tain in convenient form all that is necessary for the 
support of all dogs under all conditions, and were the 
entire race fed on them alone, while some might possibly 
keep well and strong, the infinite majority would in time 
decline in health and vigor, lacking as they do that com- 
plex elaborating system which is required for ready con- 
version of these substances into all the different kinds of 
materials — the heavy as well as the light timbers — 
imperatively demanded for structure-building and repairs. 
But still, as urged in the foregoing chapters, they con- 
tribute in various ways not a little to the welfare of dogs, 
hence the most serviceable of them deserve consideration 
here. 

Commencing with garden produce, there are noted a 
number of vegetables against which with scarcely an 
exception dogs have strong antipathies and from which 
they will generally turn unless the same are served and 
thoroughly intermingled with appetizing foods. And this 
natural aversion is quite fairly distributed although it 
seems specially strong towards the potato — very likely 
for the reason that it is the most common of its class and 
most frequently appears before them. 

Yet while it is not easily digestible and should be 
excluded from the diet when old or imperfectly cooked, 
if comparatively young and well cooked and mashed there 
is nothing objectionable about this vegetable, — in fact it 
can wisely be used occasionally as an accessory food. 
And although it contributes but little in the way of sup- 
port and vigor there is no denying that it has health- 
giving properties, the immediate effect of which appears 
to be on the blood itself, the integrity of which it seems 
to favor. 



VEGETABLE FOODS. 37 

Practically the same may be said of the carrot, turnip, 
parsnip, and beet-root, all of which the dog is capable of 
digesting, provided always the quantity is small and they 
are properly cooked and well mashed. But while they 
supply in limited amount a few of the materials required 
by the body, for their nutritive and force-producing proper- 
ties purely they are of small value to the dog, and for him 
their highest importance lies in their tendency to assist in 
keeping the constitution of the blood unimpaired. 

As for such vegetables as cabbages, the tops of turnips, 
beets, nettles, spinach, dandelion and other " greens," 
they contain but little real nutriment, nor is much of 
them digested or absorbed ; still they favor the digestion 
of " hearty " foods and possess all the properties of value 
which have been conceded to the tubers. 

In a word, while not nutritious themselves they seem 
to make other foods more nutritious ; moreover, being 
largely composed of woody fibre and chlorophyl, which 
are but slightly if at all soluble in the digestive fluids, they 
act mechanically as stimulants to the bowels, and so tend 
to keep them open and free. 

Under certain conditions of life, as when fed generously 
but deprived of exercise sufficient to eliminate the waste 
— composed of undigested foods and used-up matters — 
the blood becomes overloaded with impurities, in which 
state it is often, for convenience, termed inflammable by 
physicians, while laymen are wont to say that it is "heated 
up," the terms being suggested by the very strong ten- 
dency which then exists to inflammations. And these, by 
the way, are singularly liable to manifest themselves in 
the skin where dogs are the victims of the accumulated 
impurities. 

It is in such conditions as this that the vegetables in" 
question have a decidedly good effect by improving the 



38 



KENNEL SECRETS. 



action of the bowels — the great waste avenue or sewer — ■ 
which under their impulse carry from the blood more than 
usual of its impurities ; and at the same time this vital 
fluid feels directly some of the properties of the vegeta- 
bles and is doubtless more or less purged by them. 

Onions, garlic, cress and other like substances of pun- 
gent flavors have been credited with medicinal virtues of 
marked character, while the first named is believed by 
some to be a sure preventive as well as destroyer of 
worms. They are all stimulants and cause an increased 
secretion of the saliva and gastric juice, and in this way 
favor digestion, provided they are used in moderation, 
while like all other stimulants they cause irritation when 
pushed too far. 

As for the supposed anthelmintic virtues of onions, the 
only testimony offered that they possess any such comes 
from a few breeders who, accustomed to flavor their soups 
with them, and their dogs having fortunately .escaped 
worms, have jumped at the conclusion that the credit 
belongs to this vegetable. It really contains an acrid, 
volatile oil that is strongly irritating and stimulating, and 
were worms to encounter it in goodly quantities and in 
concentrated form it would doubtless prove anything but 
pleasant to them, and might, like all other irritant oils, 
have some destructive effect. But much of it is lost in 
cooking. Moreover the proportion of onions to the other 
ingredients in soups for dogs is scarcely greater than that 
in like foods prepared for man, consequently it is not 
reasonable to suppose that it has the reputed effect. 

From this brief consideration of garden produce the 
conclusion is justified that vegetables can be advanta- 
geously employed in feeding dogs, to vary the diet, render 
certain foods more nutritious and wholesome, stimulate 
the secretion of the digestive solvents, improve the action 



I 



VEGETABLE FOODS. 39 

of the bowels, and contribute towards the maintenance of 
the integrity of the blood. 

It is scarcely necessary to add that when used they 
should be as fresh and free from taint as those on the 
table, and that no reliance should be placed upon them as 
supports, the fact being kept in mind that to dogs they 
afford but very little nourishment. 

Of the farinaceous substances or bread-stuffs, called, 
also, starchy foods, for the reason that starch is the chief 
constituent of them all, those commonly fed to dogs are 
wheat, oats, maize or Indian corn, and rice. 

Were it best that that kind of food only should be used 
which embraces in a given quantity the greatest amount 
of nutrition, then all but animal foods might be dispensed 
with ; but economy aside, obviously the nutritious and unnu- 
tritious kinds should be used together, otherwise as the 
average dog of to-day is placed his digestive organs would 
be likely to break down in time ; and even did this not 
occur, good form and condition would scarcely be possible. 
Admitting this, which is certainly within reason, the 
starchy substances must be accepted as good articles 
of diet when used in conjunction with other and more 
nutritious foods. 

Of these substances wheat is of the highest value, con- 
taining as it does the most flesh-forming and energy-pro- 
ducing materials, and although it deser\'es consideration 
merely as an accessory food it has been shown by experi- 
ment that dogs can subsist upon it alone for a long time 
and retain health and vigor, provided they are allowed all 
parts of the grain. But they could not do this on wheat 
as generally set before them — that is, as white bread, 
which for them is far from being a "staff of life." In 
fact it is practically valueless except as a vehicle for, or 
to give substance to, other and rich foods which might 



40 KENNEL SECRETS. 

prove burdensome to the digestive organs were they 
served in concentrated forms. 

This bread is very well suited to the wants of man, for 
although it is deficient in important nutritive principles 
— thrown out in the processes of bolting and sifting — he 
takes in other foods and ways like principles in sufficient 
quantities, and oftentimes in a more digestible form than 
that in which they appear in wheat. Hence, notwith- 
standing much that has been written about the superi- 
ority of wheat meal — simply the produce of grinding — 
over wheat flour, all things considered, bread made of 
the latter is of quite as high a value to him as the "brown 
bread," which is made of the meal and contains the exter- 
nal as well as the internal parts of the grain. 

But the diet of dogs is not varied to such an extent as 
that of man, and were much white bread given them to 
the exclusion of other and more nutritious foods they 
must be deprived of many. principles required for their 
support, not the least important of which are the nutri- 
tive salts — highly essential, to the bone and other tis- 
sues — and in consequence decline in health and vigor, 
although they might still appear in good condition, 
remaining very nearly at weight under its fattening 
influence. 

This fact should sink deeply into the minds of those 
breeders who are accustomed to feed their dogs largely 
on trimmings and broken and stale pieces of bread, for 
to ignorance of it or failure to accept its importance can 
be attributed untimely deaths of some of the most valu- 
able members of the race this country has ever known. 

Such bread remnants if untainted are all very well 
in their way, for when softened with broths and mixed 
with meat they render these foods more digestible as 
well as slightly more nutritious ; at the same time they 



VEGETABLE FOODS. 4 1 

harmlessly increase the quantity — a matter of no little 
importance in using highly concentrated foods which 
would scarcely satisfy the appetite of the average dog 
unless more than he could properly assimilate was 
allowed. 

In brief, bread made from finer grades of wheat flour 
yields so little nourishment to the dog that it is of value 
merely for admixture with other foods, which alone should 
be very nearly sufficient for his support — that is, without 
the bread. 

As for "brown bread" proper, called Graham bread by 
many," it is decidedly richer in nutritive matters than the 
white bread, for it contains all parts of the wheat grain. 
Owing also to the presence of the particles of bran — 
which are indigestible and by their roughness stimulate 
the muscular coat of the alimentary canal, and so aid in 
keeping the bowels free — this bread is of special value in 
feeding dogs that are allowed but little exercise. And it 
may be given with meat alone, in about the proportion of 
three parts bread to one of meat, or mixed with other 
starchy foods — as for instance, one-half "brown bread," 
one-fourth rice, one-fourth meat, and perhaps one or two 
eggs, the bread being softened always with a little broth, 
and the meat chopped fine and well mixed with it and the 
other foods. 

But this "brown bread" must not be confounded with 
what is known as " Boston brown bread." The former, 
as stated, is made from "whole wheat flour," or in other 
words from bran and flour, and has much of the lightness 
and porosity of white bread, but the latter contains various 
ingredients, some of which tend to lessen its digesti- 
bility. And withal, while fresh it forms in the stomach a 
pasty mass v/hich the digestive fluids find it hard to per- 
meate, and in consequence their work is delayed. 



42 KENNEL SECRETS. 

The "Boston brown bread," therefore, is of less value 
to dogs than white bread, and it should only be given 
them after it has been long baked or kept until it is. dry 
and hard. In all instances, also, it should be mixed with 
other foods, as broths, meat, milk, etc., which in them- 
selves contain very nearly sufficient nourishment. And 
the quantity of this bread in a single meal must always 
be small — not more than one-half of that which would 
be allowable were it white bread or " brown bread " 
proper. 

Bread trimmings are quite extensively used in kennels, 
they being obtainable in cities of dealers who contract for 
them with keepers of hotels, restaurants, etc., and sell 
them for much less than the cost of their ingredients. 
And such being the case, something can properly be said 
here as to the methods of keeping them. 

As soon as they are received these trimmings should 
be carefully examined, one by one, and all that are in the 
slightest degree mouldy should be thrown away as worse 
than valueless. At the same time the loaves or parts of 
loaves of "Boston brown bread" should be cut into pieces 
not larger than the hand, that they may speedily dry. 
This done, the remnant.s should be spread out in a dry 
and well-ventilated room, it being borne in mind that in 
the presence of dampness they mould quickly, also that 
when this change has occurred they are absolutely 
poisonous. 

In this country doubtless more maize or Indian corn is 
used in feeding dogs than any other starchy food, and 
notwithstanding the very bitter prejudice of some breeders 
against it, it really affords a good, serviceable accessory 
food, provided it is rightly prepared and fed out, for it 
contains a fairly good proportion of flesh-forming mate- 
rials and is rich in fat. Yet except when deprived of its 



VEGETABLE FOODS. 43 

hull and in the form of grits or hominy it is not as 
digestible as wheat, oatmeal or rice ; moreover its pecu- 
liar taste must generally be disguised or dogs will turn 
from it unless very hungry. 

It is absolutely necessary to cook this meal for at least 
three hours, otherw^ise it will be highly indigestible and 
much of it will journey through the intestinal canal and 
pass out unchanged in the discharges, and possibly cause 
diarrhoea. And here appears one reason for the disrepute 
into which it has fallen with breeders, they failing to 
meet this requirement and using it'when practically raw; 
while another pronounced reason is, that for weeks and 
months it is generally made the staple food and rarely 
varied from. 

But while it is not suited to toys, because like all such 
meals it is somewhat "heating," because, also, this and 
other coarse meals are not relished by them, vv^hen given 
to other varieties no unpleasant results need be appre- 
hended if care and judgment are exhibited. 

The proper way to use it is for admixture with other 
starches as well as meat. For instance, without consid- 
ering the vegetables or soup, let one feeding be made up 
of one-half boiled corn meal, one-fourth bread and one- 
fourth meat ; the next time substitute rice for the bread ; 
and so on — always softening the starches with the broth 
from the meat. 

Corn meal has also been blamed for skin diseases, and 
notably eczema, and here again many of the complainants 
must have been at fault in keeping it until its oily con- 
stituents had become rancid, in w'hich condition it is dele- 
terious alike to man and animals, and in both has a special 
tendency to excite cutaneous affections, some of which are 
even more serious than eczema. 

Excepting it, is done in a suitable apparatus and by 



44 KENJVKL SECKE7\S. 

steam, tlu- woik o{ coo\<\\\i\ this iiical by boiliiii; is difti- 
ciilt ami lal>()i'i(>us, tor imK-ss it is stiiicd loiislaiilly it is 
([iiilc suit' lo biiiii ; and in the absi'mc ol as c\iiciiil 
\vatchini;' as tlu- im-al dcmamls. but lew to whom the lUil)' 
is intrusted are Hkel\ lo slaiul ox'ei a hot life the nnnd)er 
of hours re(-|uiii'd in the [Moeess. I'hei cloi e, il without a 
steam cookei or l)oiK'r, all who nurst tinsl to hired hel[) 
not above sus|)ii'ion slu>nKl insist that alter the |)uddini;s 
have been made tlu"\' he transleneil [\\m\ tlu- kettles to 
shallow bakini; pans, [int into hoi o\'ens, and kept there 
tor se\eral hours at least, ami eonxtMuenee siig'i^'ests 
over night — b\' whieh means tlu'\' will be converted into 
dry and crisp corn cakes, which are easily iligested, 
whereas a mass of half-cooked pasty pudding is like lead 
io the stomach. 

Cakes madi- o\ this meal alone are serviceable merely 
for admixture with meat antl \egetables; but were meat, 
either cooked or raw, " beef-ilour " or cracklings, ackled to 
them in goodh' quantities before baking they might with 
pi-opiiet\' occasionally constitute an evening meal. 

Oatmeal com|)ares favorably with wheat and corn as tar 
as relates to llesh protlucing matter, and when it has been 
rightly boiled some dogs digest it well, but with others 
it very evidently disagrees ; while if improperly cooked 
it is extremeb' iiuligestible and iriitaling to the lining 
of the alimentary canal. And at best it is tlecidetlly 
"heating." 

Invariably, at least three hours of constant boiling are 
required in its preparation, and this faithfully done, it may 
be used to thicken broths or milk, but the quantity must 
be small — much smaller than that of corn meal — and 
only occasional use will be a]K)wable. it being regarded 
merely as a means of varving the diet not as a means of 
nourishme-nt. 



VEGETABLE FOODS. 45 

As for serving it to dogs as man sometimes eats it, as 
beef brose — made by stirring the oatmeal into hot broth 
— or as porridge or gruel, in which it is seldom if ever 
cooked, it would be a mean imposition upon the digestive 
organs, which would more than likely be attended by gas- 
tric and intestinal disturbance. 

Rice is extremely poor in tissue-building and energy- 
producing matters, being very nearly pure starch, yet it 
is by no means to be despised, and as a matter of fact it is 
one of the most serviceable of the starchy accessories, 
while for toys like Yorkshire terriers it is really the 
staple food. 

When properly cooked it is digested with the greatest 
ease, hence is well borne even where the digestive organs 
are disordered. Furthermore, it is neither laxative nor 
constipating. Again, it is a food which can without im- 
propriety be termed "cooling," for it is absolutely want- 
ing in stimulating properties, and can safely be given in 
febrile states without fear of intensifying the existing 
trouble and fever ; while in conditions of the system in 
which there is a tendency to inflammation or a " heating 
up " of the blood, it never, in the slightest degree, aggra- 
vates such tendency. 

Consequently it can rightly be said to constitute a food 
of exceeding value, especially for toys that are peculiarly 
liable to be "heated up" and as a result have "breakings 
out" of the skin, also for all other breeds when they 
exhibit like tendencies. And with its other good quali- 
ties it is fattening, therefore a useful aliment with all that 
are under weight. 

But while rice is all this, the fact that it is deficient in 
nutritive principles must not go out of sight, and when 
used it should be with other foods, as meat and its 
products and milk, which can compensate for those prin- 
ciples in which it is wanting. 



46 KENNEL SECRETS. 

Dogs are sometimes given rye in the bread trimmings 
from the table. Some breeders, also, have a meal made 
of equal parts of this grain, oats and corn, and bake the 
same in cakes ; and this combination is said to act well on 
hardy dogs that are given a very great amount of exer- 
cise every day. 

Alone, however, it is not a serviceable food except as an 
occasional change, and small quantities at long intervals 
should be the rule, otherwise obstinate indigestion would 
be likely to result. Nor should it be considered a " cor- 
rective " — to overcome constipation — for green vege- 
tables are more efficient, besides far more friendly to 
digestion. 

Barley greatly resembles rye in nutritive power and 
solubility, and a little that has been well boiled is now 
and then quite right for a change if it is served with meat, 
boiled tripe or the like, but any considerable quantity and 
often is not advisable. 

The starchy foods that are likely to find their way into 
the diet of dogs have now been considered, but before 
leaving them there are still a few pertinent facts to 
be brought out, and some already given can properly be 
reverted to for the purpose of emphasis. 

Notwithstanding dogs are capable of digesting these 
foods their powers are not without limit, and beyond the 
fact that they might starve while yet their stomachs were 
full, if too much of them is given not only will a large 
proportion pass out of the body undigested but the bowels 
will be weakened in their efforts to dispose of them. 

During early life the power to digest starchy foods 
increases with the age — that is, puppies can digest and 
otherwise properly dispose of a larger proportion compara- 
tively after they are four or five months old than they 
could in the second and third months. 



VEGETABLE FOODS. 47 

But throughout puppyhood the evil effects of too much 
starch in the diet are more pronounced than in mature 
Hfe, and they are generally manifested by "bloating " a"nd 
diarrhoea, the results of delay in the process of digestion 
and consequent fermentation and generation of gas. 

All this points to one of the most potent causes of the 
terrible mortality among young puppies, which will only 
lessen greatly when breeders learn that these little ones 
should have in proportion a more generous quantity of 
animal food — if not milk, then meat — than matured 
dogs, and that while starchy foods are valuable accesso- 
ries, only in extremely rare instances are they sufficient 
for support. 

Starch is composed of solid granules which are not 
digestible until after they have been long cooked and 
softened down. And it is largely because this process 
is incomplete that starchy foods so often prove failures in 
feeding dogs. But let them be cooked thoroughly and 
used judiciously — always with nutritive foods — and they 
can but prove useful and wholesome accessories. 

Happily this fault of giving imperfectly cooked starches 
to dogs is growing less every year, and in much the same 
ratio as the so-called "dog cakes" or "dog biscuits" grow 
in popularity, for in them the starches with the other 
ingredients are sure to be thoroughly cooked, for other- 
wise long keeping without taint would be out of the 
question. 

But these foods deserve more than a passing notice, for 
when of honest ingredients and rightly made they are of 
exceeding value, being time-saving and constituting an 
admirable change as well as a means of no inconsiderable 
support. 

All this can certainly be said of the "dog cakes " manu- 
factured by Spratts Patent — a firm with an experience 



48 KENNEL SECRETS. 

of a quarter of a century and a world-wide reputation for 
integrity. 

These Spratts cakes, of which the writer has used many 
tons, are made from the lower grade of flour, — which con- 
tains more nourishment than the white, bolted flours, — 
good dried beef, fine middlings and ground beets. And 
after the ingredients have all been thoroughly amalga- 
mated and baked they are left to dry until nearly as hard 
as bone. 

Such is the process of manufacture — which, by the 
way, is a vast improvement on that first employed — the 
starches contained in them are in the best possible state for 
speedy digestion and absorption without taxing the organs 
concerned in their disposal ; and fortified by the meat and 
beet roots they constitute a wholesome accessory food of 
no mean nutritive value, and, besides, have a fat-producing 
tendency which makes them specially serviceable with 
dogs that have fallen off in weight. 

They are admirable for giving consistency to milk and 
broths and for admixture with meat, while with mature 
dogs that are in good health, alone and unbroken they are 
often quite sufficient for the morning meal. And they 
may even now and then constitute the sole ingredient of 
the heartiest meal of the day — at night — with dogs 
that are kept much in confinement and given but little 
exercise. 




CHAPTER IV. 

DIETARY FOR PUPPIES. 

Having taken a general survey of the range of mate- 
rials at the command of man for the purpose of feeding 
his do2fS, it is well to return and, starting as it were with 
a litter of puppies about leaving their mother, apply the 
principles laid down in the foregoing chapters. 

The period of weaning fixed by breeders is between the 
fourth and fifth weeks ; and this seems in accord with the 
plans of Nature, for the milk secretion is then as a rule 
falling off, both in quality and quantity, and most mothers 
give their young other food if their caretakers fail to 
do so. 

Closely observe the average mother that is denied assist- 
ance in nourishing her little ones after her milk has begun 
to fail and she will soon be detected in providing for them 
from her own feeding-pan, conveying the same in her 
stomach and regurgitating or vomiting it up before them. 
And when the puppies are so situated that several experi- 
enced mothers have access to them, if their own fails to do 
this the chances are many that some one of the others 
will assume the duty. 

49 



50 KENNEL SECRETS. 

It can safely be accepted, therefore, that even where the 
milk supply seems abundant the weaning should be fairly 
begun during the fourth week. But it is never advisable 
to wait until this period is reached before taking the 
preparatory steps, for exigencies are very liable indeed 
to arise which make weaning imperative at once and 
complete. 

Consequently in every instance puppies should be 
taught to eat at the earliest possible age, which is soon 
after the second week where those who assume the duty 
are patient and persevering. And such rarely find it diffi- 
cult if they put a little milk into a small shallow dish 
and gently dip the tips of the puppies' noses into it for an 
instant, and then allow the little ones to draw back and 
lick off what adheres. 

The milk used in these attempts should be scalded, 
diluted with an equal quantity of water, and about 
" blood-warm." 

But it is not alone sufficient to teach puppies to drink 
milk, for they should be accustomed early to the taste 
of flesh ; and the proper food to commence with is 
very thin broth made specially for them from beef or 
mutton. 

Of course, only a little milk or broth should be allowed 
at first, — barely sufficient for the purpose for which they 
are used — but in all cases, whether or not the mother's 
milk appears sufficient, one of these foods can properly 
be given about twice daily in the third week, and in 
gradually increasing quantities up to the weaning. 

To be more definite, at each attempt about a teaspoonful 
of milk or broth will be sufficient for educational pur- 
poses. Once eating well, a tablespoonful of one of these 
foods, if they care to take as much, may be allowed twice 
daily for three days ; and thereafter about a tablespoonful 



DIETARY FOR PUPPIES. 51 

more may be added to their allowance every second or 
third day until the weaning commences, assuming that 
the mother is ample support, but it goes without saying 
that where she fails the wants of the puppies are to be 
satisfied. 

Gradual weaning, to cover about one week, should be 
the rule in all cases that will admit it — that is, in all 
cases in which the mothers are secreting fairly good quan- 
tities of milk. But the period can scarcely be prolonged 
beyond this with safety, for when a mother is nursed only 
once or twice in twenty-four hours her milk becomes 
altered and might prove injurious. 

When it is decided to wean, the mother should be 
excluded from her puppies during certain hours each day 
and permitted to return at fixed intervals, between which 
and at fixed times they should be fed on cow's milk. As 
for instance, she should be let out about seven in the 
morning, admitted about noon and allowed to nurse them, 
then be excluded for another interval of about five hours, 
after which she should be permitted to return and care 
for them until the following morning. And during her 
absence they should be fed between nine and ten in the 
forenoon and about three in the afternoon. 

Some breeders do not exclude the mother while the 
weaning is going on, but their course is open to the objec- 
tion that too much or too little food is likely to be taken 
at timics ; .moreover an admixture of cow's milk and 
mother's milk is not advisable when it can be pre- 
vented, for together they seem less well borne than 
when given separately. 

Two full feedings of cow's milk each day are all that 
puppies should have during the first three days of the 
weaning, — provided always that number is quite suffi- 
cient with the quantity of milk afforded by the mother — 



52 KENNEL SECRETS. 

but after that they can be fed three times a day. For 
instance, the mother being taken from them at about 
seven in the morning and kept away until night, they 
should be fed shortly after nine, at noon and about 
three. Then three hours later — about six — the mother 
should be admitted to them to remain until the follow- 
ing morning, when she should be again excluded until 
six at night. 

While oftentimes the weaning can safely be delayed 
until the fourth week — to be completed during the 
fifth — in many instances it is necessary to begin it in 
the third week. And this is the rule with the largest 
varieties, but comparatively few members of which have 
a great abundance of milk at any time, while with 
the majority the supply declines soon after the second 
week. In fact breeders of these varieties must ever be 
on the alert and prepared for this accident, which 
may occur even earlier than this ; and it can properly 
be said that with them the sooner the puppies learn 
to eat and the weaning is well advanced the better. 

Although all puppies should be early familiarized with 
the taste of meat as already advised, during the weaning 
they should be fed on cow's milk that has been scalded. 
And it will not be necessary to dilute it after they have 
been taught to take it readily. 

The weaning over, and the mother excluded from her 
puppies nights as well as days, they should as a rule be 
fed sparingly every third hour during waking hours — the 
first time at daylight and the last at eight or nine at 
night. 

Scalded milk will do for the first feeding. 

The next, to be given about eight a.m., should be pre- 
pared as follows : Soak in water a few pieces of stale 
bread that have been well baked the second time until 




.JJl- -MM-. 



DIETARY FOR PUPPIES. 53 

they are dry and crisp, and crush by squeezing them 
through the fingers. Pour over this bread scalding hot 
milk to which a little sugar and a small piece of butter 
have been added ; or instead of the bread well-boiled rice 
can be used, and the same is sure to be thoroughly cooked 
— but not too much so — if left overnight in a "slow 
oven." 

The feeding at eleven can properly be of toast softened 
with a little light broth. 

At two, again the scalded milk and bread. 

At five, a little scalded milk alone will be sufficient. 

Scalded bread or rice and milk, or toast and broth, 
should constitute the last meal. And this and the first 
feeding after daylight should be somewhat larger than 
those between them, but in no instmice should the quantity 
be sufficient to swell the abdomen. 

These foods and these methods can properly be per- 
sisted in during the first week after weaning. 

It is necessary to stop here for a time and discuss at 
some length the vital question of the number of meals 
daily for young puppies. 

Upon this breeders are widely at variance, and some 
maintain that for all healthy puppies three meals daily are 
amply sufficient after the fifth or sixth week, while others 
contend that "little and often" should be the invariable 
rule. 

Not impossibly a few have had fairly good success with 
the three-meals-daily system, and that it might do in occa- 
sional instances with the largest breeds is possible, yet 
there is no gainsaying that as a general thing it means 
failure. And for this there are many reasons. 

Were but three meals a day given the first would be 
presumably between seven and eight in the morning and 
the last between six and seven at night —or at least 



54 KENNEL SECRETS. 

these are the hours set by most of the advocates of the sys- 
tem — and the puppies would be without food not less than 
twelve hours. This would be none too long were they 
allowed concentrated and hearty foods that would " stay 
by " them during the greater part of this time, but their 
digestive organs will not at first bear food of this sort, 
nor in fact any other kind in quantity sufficient to occupy 
the stomach more than two or three hours, consequently 
long before the morning feeding this organ must crave 
food, and after it begins to do so the system generally 
suffers from the deprivation. 

For a time the morning meal acting as a spur to the 
flagging powers would wholly restore them, yet this result 
is scarcely to be expected always, for were they to decline 
regularly every night some permanent loss in vigor would 
more than likely occur. The stomach, also, would be 
quite sure to rebel in time and thereafter do its work less 
promptly and well. Again, there deserves to be consid- 
ered the danger of chilling during the long cold nights, 
and this is always the greatest where the stomach is 
empty, for then the fires of life are burning low. 

This hasty glance must be conclusive when coupled 
with the knowledge, which all surely have, of the fact 
that even for the matured too long intervals between 
meals hazard digestion and strength, and the danger is 
greatly intensified where the subjects of the deprivation 
are very young. 

But this is by no means all that can be. said in opposi- 
tion to the three-meals-a-day system. Follow that, and 
give the puppies all the food which they require for tissue 
and bone building, etc., and they must take more into 
their stomachs at these meals than they can properly 
digest and assimilate. In a word, they must gorge them- 
selves — and this is one of the most ruinous practices in 
which they can be indulged. 



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DIETARY FOR PUPPIES. 55 

Puppies that have done so and weighted themselves 
down with food are soon sleeping, and generally continue 
in this state during much of the intervals between feed- 
ings, or if awake they are dull and sluggish and disin- 
clined to move about. And assuredly while like this 
their legs cannot be developing strength as they ought ; 
moreover, their systems must be choking up with waste 
impurities, which inevitably accumulate where the exer- 
cise is limited unless the food is bland in character and of 
small amount. 

It ought not be necessary to urge that the legs of 
very young puppies are weak and scarcely able to bear 
their bodies even. Now allow them to fill up continually 
with food or drink, and deformity is quite sure to result. 
And in fact did a breeder desire his puppies to become 
bandy-legged, weak in the pasterns and badly placed at 
the elbows, he could employ no surer method to effect; the 
result than stuffing them three times a day. 

Every ounce of food — every grain even — is so much 
weight on the legs. Let this fact be fixed ; also, that 
while rapid growth and weight of body may be to the 
breeder a pleasing sight, if it passes over the line 
the limbs must suffer and symmetry be simply out of 
the question. 

Considering the matter intelligently, on all sides, there 
can be but one conclusion, namely, that puppies while yet 
very young should be "fed little and often." They must 
not be fed until their abdomens are distended and their 
appetites glutted, but they must leave off eating while yet 
ready for more. And then, that their limbs may acquire 
strength and the foods they have eaten do them the 
greatest good, they must be kept as much of the time on 
their feet and as active as possible. 

To this end they should be given shin bones from 



56 KENNEL SECRETS. 

which at first nearly every particle of meat has been 
scraped ; and on these they will try their teeth, fight at 
them, and pound their little legs for an hour or more, and 
then take a nap. 

Note the difference between a puppy treated in this 
way and one that is allowed to gorge himself three times a 
day. The latter, weak and tottering, drags his distended 
abdomen into a corner and sleeps his time away on top 
of another like himself ; but the former soon stands true 
and firm ; instead of sleeping he is all for play, and young 
as he is he is biting and tugging at everything within 
his reach. 

This puppy will grow straight and strong on his legs 
and upright in his pasterns ; moreover, from his food he 
will extract its greatest good ; and, in a word, he will in 
a short time be far ahead of the other and top-heavy 
puppy. 

Never feed all together is another rule which should be 
fixed at once after the weaning. Ignore this and the 
puppies will rarely ever take just the right quantities, for 
the stronger will push the weaker aside. And another 
point to be kept in sight is, that when fed with others 
a puppy not only eats what he needs but he eats what 
he fancies others are going to take from him, whereas if 
fed quietly by himself he is likely to stop when he has 
had just a little more than he actually requires — yet not 
enough to injure him and throw him all out of shape. 
But now take this same puppy after he has had his fill 
and put him with others that are eating, and he will go 
into the pan as though ravenously hungry. 

The novice may accept without qualification that these 
rules — feed little and often, and feed separately — are 
the two greatest secrets of success in puppy raising. 
And certainly it is not hard to believe this, for every 



DIETARY FOR PUPPIES. 57 

breeder knows that the puppy that leaves him soon after 
the weaning and goes into a home where he is the sole 
pet of his kind — if the diet and management are nearly 
equal — is sure to do better than other members of the 
litter that remain in the kennels. 

The reasons for this are apparent. He has far more 
exercise in his new home, and if there are children in it 
he is sure to be "kept on the go." He is played with, 
pulled by the tail, dragged around, — in fact led a lively 
dance by these little ones, — and full of frolic, a short 
nap now and then is all he gets or all he cares for. He is 
rarely fed regularly or with exceeding care, it is true, and 
besides his scraps from the table he has a bit of the 
children's cake or their molasses and bread, helps the 
cat empty her saucers of milk, and so on, but he really 
never gets very much of anything. Yet ever on the 
move, bright, merry and full of fun, and with a little 
something always in his stomach, he grows like a weed 
and as strong as a young lion. 

All this is in favor of " walking " as it is called abroad, 
but " boarding out " as expressed here, and the breeder 
who resorts to this plan with the puppies which he cannot 
sell readily is sure to have far better success in raising 
than he who keeps all his young stock in the kennels, pro- 
vided always the "walking" is in pure air, as in the open 
country, and where there is an abundance of milk and 
light foods, as on farms. 

Some of the most pronounced reasons for the advisa- 
bility of feeding little and often have now been given 
against the three-meals-daily system. Much more might 
be said to sustain the position taken on this question, but 
it is not necessary to go farther. In the absence of exer- 
cise all those sovereign essentials, health, good limbs and 
good feet, are impossible for young puppies ; consequently 



58 KENNEL SECRETS. 

it must be encouraged and they must be put on their 
feet at the earliest moment and kept on them as much as 
possible. 

The reader will now be taken back to the litter of 
puppies which were left in the first week after the wean- 
ing. And that there may be no mistake it is urged that 
these puppies be given until the tenth week the same 
number of meals and at about the same hours as directed 
in the week following the weaning — the fifth week. If 
then they are straight and strong on their legs the num- 
ber of meals may be reduced to four, and kept at that 
until the fifth month. But this reduction must not be 
made as long as there is any deformity of the feet or legs, 
or any seems threatened. 

From the fifth month until the tenth month the pup- 
pies should have three meals daily ; and thereafter two 
will be sufficient. 

Having been fed on well-baked stale bread and rice and 
milk, toast and light broths, for about one week, these 
puppies, assuming that they are other than toys, should 
have — even as early as the beginning of the sixth week 
— more concentrated and heartier food. Therefore a 
sheep's head which has been split lengthwise, or, if this 
cannot be obtained, lean meat, should be cooked with 
vegetables, as potatoes, beets, carrots or cabbage leaves, 
and the whole seasoned with a little salt. After a thor- 
ough boiling the vegetables, meat and bones should be 
removed and the broth thickened to the consistency of 
pea soup by the means of well-baked stale bread, rice, 
Spratts "puppy food," or a flour made by grating one or 
more dog cakes on a nutmeg grater. 

This should be given them for about a week ; and con- 
venience suggests that it be their food at eleven and the 
last thing at night, and that their breakfasts be of scalded 



DIETARY FOR PUPPIES. 59 

milk and bread or rice ; while for the feedings at eight in 
the morning and two and five in the afternoon a little 
scalded milk alone will be sufficient. 

By the next, or about the seventh, week the puppies 
will be old enough to eat the vegetables and meat from 
which the broth is made ; and these after having been 
thoroughly cooked should be taken out and broken up 
with the fingers or crushed to a paste in a mortar, and 
returned to the kettle. 

This vegetable and meat soup can be given at the same 
hours as the light broth in the previous week — that is, 
at eleven and the last thing at night ; while scalded milk 
with bread or rice should constitute the breakfasts, and 
scalded milk alone the other feedings. 

At this age — about the seventh week — it is advisable 
to fortify the food of the puppies of the largest breeds, as 
mastiffs and St. Bernards, with bone-making material in 
the form of precipitated phosphate of lime — against the 
occurrence of rickets or bone deficiencies of a kindred 
nature. For every four puppies one teaspoonful of this 
should be given once a day in the food — with the last 
meal — in all instances even if suspicious signs of 
deformity have not appeared ; while where such signs 
are manifested the lime should at once be given twice 
every day, and in steadily increasing doses until each 
puppy is taking half a teaspoonful. And it will be well 
to persist in the use of the lime, once a day at least, for 
three months whether or not it seems required. 

Up to this time the puppies have been given shin bones 
from which the meat has been scraped. Now all the 
large ones — also nearly cleaned — that are taken from 
the soup should be thrown into their yards after break- 
fast, but the small pieces, sharp splinters, etc., must be 
withheld, for they might choke them. It will be well. 



6o KENNEL SECRETS. 

also, to give them occasionally an uncooked bone to 
which a little meat is so firmly adherent that they can- 
not detach it except by much hard work, that they may 
acquire early a fondness for raw meat, which is often dis- 
tasteful to them at first. 

After they are two months old their vegetable and meat 
soups should be made quite thick, and for this purpose 
stale well-baked bread, rice or a little oatmeal that has 
been " cooked on honor," may be employed. Or dog 
cakes can be used for occasional change, but these be- 
ing dense and hard it will be necessary to soften them 
by soaking in cold water for several hours — preferably 
overnight — and then, after crushing with the fingers, to 
put them into the kettle to boil with the other ingredients 
of the soup. 

But whatever the foods resorted to for the purpose of 
thickening, in the last feeding at night the proportion 
of meat should be one-fourth — that is, there should be no 
more than three parts of vegetables and starches to one of 
meat. And very soon it will be advisable to remove the 
meat and vegetables from the soup, and, after mixing 
them with stale bread, crackers, rice or other well-cooked 
starchy food, use merely sufficient broth to soften the 
various ingredients. 

After the second month, puppies of the largest varie- 
ties should have a little cod-liver oil in their iced at 
eleven, each puppy's portion being about one-fourth of a 
teaspoonful at first. And as this oil is laxative in over- 
doses it will be necessary to have an eye to the droppings ; 
but if no effect on the bowels is noted the dose can be 
gradually increased to a teaspoonful, and after a short 
time repeated at the last meal — at night. 

It is well to advert here to the notion held by many that 
young puppies should have " sloppy " food until they are 



DIETARY FOR R UP PIES. 6 1 

three or four months old. But this is a grave mistake, 
and were it not enough that at least two feedings of thick 
concentrated foods are absolutely demanded for support, 
structure-building, etc., there is still another important 
reason for feeding puppies on them instead of always on 
milk and thin broths. No one needs to be told that these 
little ones are extremely liable to be infested with worms 
soon after birth, and that if the pests are once lodged in 
their intestines, unless quickly expelled there are many 
chances of their proving fatal. 

Now, sloppy foods greatly favor worms, but solid foods 
are hostile to them, because they force them, mechanic- 
ally, to break their hold on the mucous lining of the 
intestines to which they cling, and gradually sweep them 
down the canal out of the body. Consequently for this 
reason, if for no other, it is advisable that thick foods be 
given at as early an age as possible. 

Bu passant, it is well to allude briefly to that ancient 
theory that " raw cow's milk " is conducive to worms. It 
certainly cannot cause worms, but there is ample reason 
for the belief that it favors their growth or at least is not 
unfriendly to them. It furnishes ample nourishment for 
their support, and at the same time they are in no way 
unpleasantly affected by it. Beyond this, raw cow's milk 
is really not kindly received by a puppy's stomach, in the 
lining of which it causes more or less irritation, which in 
turn results in an increased secretion of mucus, and this 
mucus is supposed to be the repository of the ova or eggs 
from which the worms are propagated. 

In using vegetables the fact must be kept in sight that 
they deteriorate with keeping, and while some become hard 
and stringy and therefore much less digestible, others are 
soon absolutely unfit for man or dogs. The so-called 
greens should be as fresh as possible ; the potatoes must 



62 KENNEL SECRETS. 

not be too young nor too old ; and the carrots, turnips, 
beets and the like, always in good state of preservation. 
The cabbage while yet sound and wholesome is soft but 
crisp, but when the leaves have wilted fermentation has 
occurred in them and they are most noxious, causing 
among other disturbances the generation of an enormous 
amount of gas in the intestinal canal. 

It must also be borne in mind that a large proportion 
of these substances are more or less laxative in their 
action, consequently the droppings must be watched to 
determine whether or not they are wisely used. And 
they, like all other foods, should be varied frequently, 
mashed turnips being in excess of other vegetables in one 
evening meal, potatoes in the next, perhaps, and so on 
down the list, not omitting cabbages, which when long 
and well boiled, minced fine and thoroughly mixed with 
meat, can generally be used to advantage once or twice a 
week. 

And it goes without saying that should constipation be 
noted it will be advisable to increase the quantity of the 
"greens," they being the most laxative, while if the 
bowels become too free the use of all vegetables should 
be discontinued for a time and milk and bread or rice con- 
stitute the nourishment. 

What is known as flour gruel is the remedy to check 
the discharges, and this is made by boiling wheat flour 
long and well in skimmed milk ; or the flour can be baked 
in an oven until it has turned a light brown and then 
added to boiling milk, and given without further cooking 
as soon as it has cooled. And in both instances sufificient 
flour should be used to thicken the milk to the consist- 
ency of oatmeal porridge. 

It is not merely sufBcient to fill the stomach of a puppy 
or mature dog, or in other words to supply in proper 




MR. A. J. SEWELL, M.R.C.V.S 
London, Eng. 



DIETARY FOR PUPPIES. 63 

amount that one substance which best meets his require- 
ments, for there is risk of falling off in condition unless 
different substances of the same classes are employed in 
rotation. Therefore breeders should hold variety in diet 
of importance to health ; and they may accept that when 
it is afforded, not only the appetite but the digestive 
powers are better for it. 

Admitting all this, one soup will be made of beef; the 
next of mutton ; then one of veal, fish or other animal 
food. At the same time, while duly appreciating that an 
admixture of several kinds of vegetables will make the 
soup more wholesome, nutritious and appetizing, as 
already advised a different kind will be a little in excess 
every day. And so it will be with the starchy foods, 
bread being largely relied upon for thickening one day, 
oatmeal the next, then dog cakes, rice, etc. 

Thus varying the diet and carefully noting the effects 
of every change, a good sound dietary can soon be estab- 
lished, with the assurance that among the various foods 
there will be all the important elements required for 
tissue-building, strength and renovation ; or in other 
words, for growth, vigor and health. 

Beef and mutton will furnish variety enough in the way 
of animal food for puppies until they are three months 
old ; after which veal and fish can be added to the list of 
materials, and no further additions need be made from 
this class of foods during the next two months. Then a 
bit of tripe, well boiled in milk and minced, may be given 
now and then if well borne. But all additions must be 
experimental and made gradually, for although they may 
be in the right direction the stomach in some instances 
will require time to conform to them. 

The milk can properly be scalded during the first two or 
three months, but after that it will scarcely require this 
treatment and can be sriven "raw." 



64 KENNEL SECRETS. 

At the fifth month, when the number of feedings is 
reduced to three daily, milk and bread in sufficient quan- 
tity to meet all requirements cannot safely be given for 
breakfast, for fear of putting too great weight upon the 
limbs ; consequently thereafter good rich soups or quite 
solid feedings of vegetables, meat and bread, rice or other 
starchy food, should generally be given instead, although 
the milk and bread, rice or oatmeal may still be allowed 
for a change. 

But if the puppies are of medium-size breeds and strong 
and healthy, after the eighth month, when generous feed- 
ing is not likely to lessen activity and discourage exercise, 
and there is no longer any danger of injury to the legs 
and feet by heavy weight above, milk can be returned 
to as the mainstay for breakfast ; and it may be new or 
skimmed milk or buttermilk, and allowed in quite gener- 
ous quantities, with bread or dog cakes for thickening. 

With large dogs, however, these generous feedings of 
milk or like foods can scarcely be safely allowed before 
the twelfth month, because even then there is danger of 
their "going over on their legs." And certainly such 
feedings, or generous drinks of any fluids, must never 
be permitted if there is weakness of the limbs, splay feet 
or other deformities below. 




CHAPTER V. 



GENERAL DIETARY. 



The reader ought now have a near idea of the dietetic 
treatment required by the average puppy, which is to be 
found among all varieties excepting toys and others that 
must be kept down to certain weights, fixed by standards, 
in order to be able to compete in their various classes at 
dog shows. In other words he is a puppy to whom size, 
health, strength and endurance are essentials of infinite 
importance. 

Among the so-called toys there are some fairly robust, 
but taken as a whole they must be considered delicate 
compared with other members of their race, while some 
are notoriously lacking constitutionally. And this is due 
to the persistent efforts to get the smallest, but not, as 
some writers have stated, to a persistent selection of the 
smallest for breeding, for as a matter of fact only a very 
few of the smallest toys will breed. 

Obviously no one rule can be fixed for these varieties, 
and the limits of the digestive powers must be carefully 
studied in every instance and the feeding be in accord- 
ance with them. 

65 



66 KENNEL SECRETS. 

For most puppies of toy breeds new milk must be 
the principal food during the month after weaning, and 
this can be occasionally thickened slightly with bread, 
crackers or well-boiled rice. Mutton or beef broths can 
then be allowed, but in the beginning they must be as 
thin and as sparingly used as in cases of infants taking 
them for the first time. 

To feed only a very little and very often, must be the 
rule with the smallest of these, and once in an hour and a 
half will be near right for about a month after weaning. 
Then a trifle longer intervals will be allowable, but they 
must be very slowly and gradually lengthened, for even 
when mature toys should have food several times in the 
day. 

In feeding toys and other varieties which it is desirable 
to keep down in weight breeders must have before them 
the fact that the animal foods, milk and meat, alone and 
uncombined with other substances, tend to produce firm- 
ness of flesh with an absence of superfluous fat ; while 
on the other hand vegetable foods, and particularly the 
starches, favor the laying on of fat. They must also 
bear in mind that animal foods abound in the materials 
for bone and muscle building ; and while in moderate 
quantities they do but little more than meet the wear and 
tear of the body and keep the muscles firm and complete, 
if they are given in excess they tend decidedly to increase 
the size of the bony structure and amount of muscle or 
flesh. 

That there may be no mistake these physiological facts 
are simplified and dressed for practice : Give puppies the 
animal foods, meat and milk, in moderate quantities only 
and they will be likely to keep down in bone and muscle; 
give them vegetable foods in large quantities and the ten- 
dency will be merely to fatten ; give animal foods in large 



BLOODHOUNDS. 





Mr. Edwin Brouows bur^^undy. 




Mr. J. L. WINCHELLS JUDITH. 



GENERAL DIETARY. 67 

quantities and the chances are many that the puppies 
so fed will in consequence increase rapidly in bone and 
muscle. 

Evidently, therefore, in order that puppies may be kept 
down in weight and size and still be strong and healthy 
their breeders must feed with exceeding nicety. They 
must rely largely upon milk, and the quantity of this even 
must be restricted as nearly as possible to the actual 
requirements of the body as it then stands, for excess 
would favor increase in the size of the frame and 
amount of flesh. 

But even in large quantities milk does not tend to fat- 
ten if deprived of its cream, yet this is the specially force- 
producing part, and were milk largely depended upon, to 
deny very young puppies this part would be to invite 
weakness and frailties beyond those they inherited. 
Therefore it would be better to give them new milk 
.for the first month or two, and when they are strong 
and active — that is for their kind — use skimmed milk 
or buttermilk largely ; and they can generally be safely 
allowed these at frequent intervals. But it must be 
little and often even with milk, and a fairly large quan- 
tity during the day ; and on no account should they be 
given a large quantity at any one feeding. 

All this bears as well on other varieties that must be 
kept down in size and weight in order to be able to pass 
under the standard. Their food must be principally ani- 
mal — milk or meat — and what starchy substances are 
given them must be reduced in quantity as soon as they 
put on too much fat ; while too rapid growth in frame and 
muscle will call for a reduction in the quantity of animal 
food, and especially the meat. 

As for the use of vegetables, the safest rule is to allow 
them only such as grow above ground, as spinach and 



68 KENNEL SECRETS. 

Other "greens," lettuce, nettle tops, squash, etc., for those 
from below the ground, as potatoes, carrots, beets and the 
like are decidedly fattening. 

Returning to delicate toys and considering them zvith- 
otit reference to ages, the fact appears that those with 
long coats, as Yorkshires and Maltese terriers, cannot 
bear much meat because of its stimulating properties, and 
when given in excess it not only tends to create internal 
derangement and disease but "heats up their blood." 
This condition in turn excites skin affections, especially 
those attended with intense itching, and has a ruinous 
effect on the coat. And the same evils of excess of meat 
appear in some of the short-coated toys — the black-and- 
tan terriers, for instance — in which such skin diseases 
are never easily cured. 

But while toy terriers are easily injured by excess of 
meat they must not be deprived of this food, and although 
much of it may be in the form of broths or extracts, — as 
the " blood gravy " from roast beef or mutton — under 
ordinary conditions they should have one of these meats 
at least once a day. 

New milk should constitute their breakfasts, luncheons 
in the middle of the afternoon, and the last meal at bed- 
time — late in the evening — if one is allowed them. 

Fresh tripe that has been boiled in milk and then 
chopped fine is very acceptable to these little ones, and 
mixed with a small quantity of boiled barley — the same 
being softened with a little of the milk in which the tripe 
was boiled — does nicely for the feeding in the middle of 
the forenoon. 

Bread cut thin and buttered is suitable for a change 
and may be given occasionally to all that like it, the 
slices being broken into small pieces and fed from the 
hand. 



GENERAL DIETARY. 69 

For the heartiest meal of the day — at about six p.m. — 
boiled rice should be the principal constituent. Over this 
should be poured a little gravy, and then should be added 
about one-third as much finely chopped beef or mutton as 
there is rice, also a small quantity of vegetables, and all 
the ingredients be thoroughly mixed. 

For a change, bread, plain crackers, "tea sops," beef or 
mutton broth, and scraps from the table if they are free 
from grease and pungent condiments, as pepper and 
mustard. 

Of this diet, which is as well suited to other toys which 
have but little out-door exercise, a more extended dis- 
cussion will appear in the part devoted to "Exhibiting 
Dogs." 

It is unnecessary to consider at length the diet of short- 
coated toys, as Italian greyhounds, for theirs should be 
much the same as terriers; but being less susceptible to 
meat rather more of it can be allowed them — yet not 
nearly the quantity which would be safe for hardier 
breeds. 

As to the quantity of food that should be given pup- 
pies at each feeding, without considering variety, no rule 
can be fixed other than that already laid down — little and 
often. And manifestly keen observation must be backed 
with no small amount of common sense or one will stray 
at this point, for he. must see that his puppies keep in 
good " growing flesh," he must never feed so little as to 
leave them crying from hunger, and he must stop while 
yet they might eat more. 

Beginners in puppy-raising should start with the con- 
viction that the tendency of almost every inexperienced 
person is to overfeed ; also, that the appetite of puppies 
cannot be considered a safe indication of the quantity of 
food actually required by them. Appreciating these facts 



yo KENNEL SECRETS. 

they must study their charges closely, and if they do so 
intelligently, afterward apply judiciously what they have 
learned, feed always little aad often, stop before there is 
any distention of the abdomen, and keep their puppies on 
their legs and moving about as much as possible, they 
will not be at all likely to make any grave mistakes in 
this part of their duty. 

When thick foods are given them and their yards are 
flagged or concreted and frequently flushed and kept 
clean, puppies — no matter how young they are — 
should be made to work for their meals by the follow- 
ing method : 

Measure out the quantity of food which is to be 
allowed two puppies for that meal. Assuming it to be 
bread or rice and a taste of sheep's head or well-boiled 
tripe, throw them down just a little. After eating that 
they will at once hunt around for more. Let them hunt 
for a while, and then throw down a little more — being 
careful that each puppy has an equal share. Continue to 
do this until the supply of food is exhausted. 

Now when these puppies are put into that yard again 
they will at once begin to go over it for food ; and the 
more industrious they are the stronger they will be on 
their legs and the better they will thrive. 

Before leaving puppy feeding a few general rules will 
be given for the guidance of novices. 

Never leave in the pens or yards any other food than 
bones. In other words consider the duty of feeding your 
puppies an important one, stand over them while they are 
eating, determine the quantity of food that is sufficient, 
afterward measure out like quantity and give them that 
and 110 more. 

Wash your pans as soon as you have fed. 

When feeding long-coated toys tie back the long hair of 



J: 



GENERAL DIETARY. /I 

the head lest it become soiled and unhealthy and break at 
the ends. 

Use care in feeding an Irish water spaniel or poodle, 
for instance, lest his long and heavily coated ears get into 
the feeding dish and become bedabbled with food. 

The first thought of the novice would be to tie or other- 
wise fasten the ears behind the head, but the experienced 
fancier — he who is familiar with the secrets of the kennel 
— would have jars for feeding and watering that were just 
large enough to admit the dog's head comfortably, and 
the ears must then, of course, fall outside of the same and 
no food or water could possibly get on to them. 

See to it that the scraps you feed from the table are free 
from pungent condiments, as pepper, mustard and vine- 
gar or other acids. And this rule should be invariably 
observed with the delicate toys even after they have 
reached maturity. 

With the common varieties of young puppies be spar- 
ing in the use of corn meal, and never give it to the toys 
whose blood is easily "heated up." 

Keep puppies well supplied with good, wholesome drink- 
ing water, and at the earliest possible age teach them to 
take advantage of it. 

Now to the feeding of mature dogs. With only one 
small dog in a fairly large family the "scraps" from the 
table, consisting of trimmings and pieces of stale bread 
softened with a little gravy, a few spoonfuls of vegetables 
and small bits of meat should be ample and eminently 
suitable for his support ; but if the dog is of a large size 
and the family small, or there are several dogs belonging 
to it, this supply would scarcely meet the demand. Did it 
nearly do so, however, dog cakes might be used to fill the 
measure, and they could be depended upon for breakfasts, 
and given alone and unbroken or crushed and softened 
with milk or broth. 



72 KENNEL SECRETS. 

Here the fact intrudes that keeping one dog in the 
house and a dozen or more in kennels are entirely- 
different matters. The former fed on "scraps," running 
around at will and enjoying a trot with first one and then 
another member of the family, is nearly always in good 
condition. But when it comes to managing a large kennel 
a knowledge is required that the man who only knows how 
to keep a dog in the city does not possess. In fact one dog 
in a family will literally keep himself, but with those in 
the kennels good judgment, constant care and precision 
of methods are absolutely imperative or the inmates will 
soon be out of condition. 

The "scraps" and dog cakes insufificient, and it being 
necessary to prepare food specially for several large dogs, 
some such custom as the following may wisely be insti- 
tuted during cold weather : Put one pailful of beef trim- 
mings into a kettle and add two and one-half pailfuls of 
water, a few potatoes, turnips, beets, carrots, parsnips, or 
the like, not forgetting two or three onions, which in small 
quantities are appetizing to dogs as well as man. All 
this should be seasoned with two good handfuls of salt. 
And salt, by the way, should always be added to broths, 
"puddings " and all other kinds of foods which man would 
wish seasoned were they for him. Now let it simmer for 
several hours ; and when well cooked, crush the vegetables 
and break up the meat. 

Assuming that there is enough food here for two sup- 
pers, on the second day boil up one or two cabbages until 
they are soft, a pinch of carbonate of soda being added to 
the water, mince well and add them to the food left over 
the previous day. 

Cabbages when given in considerable quantity as in 
this instance should be boiled alone, not with the meat, 
for they make broth insipid. 



GENERAL DIETARY. 73 

It now being necessary to cook again, this time it will be 
well to obtain fresh fish instead of meat, and use vegeta- 
bles in cooking as before. But as fish changes quickly 
and soon becomes poisonous, only sufificient for one meal 
should be cooked. 

On the fourth day again cook beef or mutton with vege- 
tables. Put away enough of the soup for the next night, 
and to what is retained add bread, rice, oatmeal, Indian 
meal or the like. 

The next day thicken the soup left over with crushed 
dog cakes. And these cakes with a generous quantity of 
milk will do for the sixth day's supper. 

This diet-table will give a near idea how mature dogs 
should be fed at night — the time when they should be 
given their heartiest meal. Further variations will be 
easy ; and the longer the list of foods the better. 

The method of preparation advised favors convenience 
greatly and there can be no decided objection to it where 
the dogs are of large size, have vigorous digestive powers 
and are allowed a goodly amount of exercise. But the 
fact is apparent that a soup made in this way is richer 
and less digestible than the vegetables and meats would 
be were they cooked separately. Again, in soups which 
are thickened with starchy foods it is scarcely possi- 
ble to keep the proportion of the various ingredients 
right. 

Consequently when it is possible to do so it is best to 
cook the meat in one kettle, the vegetables in another, 
and the starches by themselves, and keep them separate 
until they are to be served. Then the correct proportions 
can be put into the feeding pan, the vegetables, bread, 
rice, Indian meal or other starches softened with the 
broth, and all well mixed together. 

Another good way of preparing meat for dogs, and one 



74 KENNEL SECRETS. 

that favors convenience greatly when no very great 
amount of this food is required, is as follows : Obtain, 
as needed, one or more glass jars of good size such 
as are used for preserving. Cut the meat fine. Put 
into each jar a quantity sufficient to make it about one- 
half full. Fill up with cold water and cover with saucers. 
Now stand these jars in small shallow pans containing a 
little water, place them in the oven of the kitchen stove 
and leave them there four or five hours or overnight if 
possible. And no matter how tough the meat, when 
cooked in this way it becomes tender ; moreover, nearly 
all its virtues have been saved and the broth is appetizing 
as well as quite nutritious. 

The morning meal scarcely requires any^'special prep- 
aration, and one or more dog cakes, according to the 
size of the dog, or a few dry, hard pieces of stale bread 
and a goodly quantity of new milk, skimmed milk or but- 
termilk will admirably meet all requirements. 

It will naturally be assumed from this that the writer 
is in favor of the two-meals-a-day system. He believes 
that under many conditions for all dogs other than toys a 
light breakfast — ■ largely of milk, because of its very 
decidedly good effect upon the coat — and a good sup- 
per is the regimen most conducive to health. It cer- 
tainly in some degree discourages gluttony, for this 
disposition is as a rule far more pronounced in dogs 
that are fed but once in twenty-four hours. And these 
suffer more frequently from indigestion than others that 
are fed twice daily. 

In the wild state the dog was a gluttonous animal, for 
his chances of a meal came only seldom, and to guard 
against starvation he was forced to overload his stomach ; 
but now if he is rightly fed this disposition is never 
exhibited in great intensity ; and the less intense it is 
the better his health. 




MR. JOHN E. THAYER, 
Lancaster, Mass. 



GENERAL DIETARY. 75 

But while, as a rule, it is advisable that two meals each 
day be allowed, under some conditions the number can 
properly be limited to one and food be given at night 
only. And on the whole this custom seems best for 
sporting dogs while in the field, for were they fed morn- 
ings and soon afterward started to work, during their 
hard runs digestion would go on slowly if indeed it did 
not stop altogether, and the food in the stomach, discom- 
posing and acrid in consequence of being too long retained, 
would cause gastric and intestinal irritation and diarrhoea. 
Consequently one meal a day — a hearty one — after their 
work has been done should be the rule with them. 

But in this matter, as in all that pertains to the care of 
the dog, there must be judgment displayed, and the same 
based on a thorough knowledge of individual peculi- 
arities, habits, etc. For instance, greyhounds are light 
feeders and one meal a day is quite enough for the 
majority of them. And yet there would be no good 
reason for denying members of this family a snack in 
the morning had they been habituated to it and seemed 
the better for it. 

Again, assuming that a bitch has been accustomed to 
one feeding a day and is in-pup, manifestly two meals will 
be required during the early weeks of gestation, also a 
light luncheon as the end is rapidly approaching. 

In a word, whether there should be one feeding daily or 
two or more feedings depends largely upon existing cir- 
cumstances, and these considered intelligently a mistake 
would scarcely be possible. But to the question. Are 
three feedings a day advisable under ordinary conditions 
for other than toys.'' the answer is emphatically No ! For 
dogs fed so often become dull, sluggish and indolent, a,nd 
unfit for any special purpose. 

The daily amount of food required also depends upon 



^6 KENNEL SECRETS. 

existing circumstances, and a fixed quantity suited to all 
dogs even of the same size is absolutely impossible, for 
one weighing sixty pounds may require as much food as 
one weighing one hundred pounds ; while one will keep 
fat with one-fourth the quantity given another of the same 
size and breed. But the intelligent breeder is scarcely 
likely to stumble badly here, for he will duly consider the 
individual peculiarities, the amount of exercise taken or 
work performed, and the state of the appetite, health and 
general condition ; after which he will be able to estimate 
with near certainty the amount of food necessary to keep 
his dogs properly nourished. 

In some instances the appetite might be a safe guide in 
regulating the supply of food, but it is frequently perverted 
and gluttonous, also oftentimes more or less impaired, con- 
sequently alone it can scarcely be depended upon as a 
rule. Yet unless a dog is a veritable glutton he is not 
likely to go far over the line if allowed at his evening 
meal all he will eat with very evident relish, but when he 
turns away as though satisfied, or begins to pick over what 
is left of his food for the daintiest and most toothsome 
morsels, it can generally be accepted that he has had 
about all that he actually requires, and it is time to 
remove his pan. 

A far better plan however is to watch the dog carefully, 
note his general condition, measure the quantity of food 
given him in a week or so, then strike an average, and 
thereafter give him about the estimated quantity as long 
as he is doing well, or lessen or increase it a little as he 
puts on or loses flesh. And this wisely followed there 
will be no " stufifing ; " the dog will lick out his pan, and 
very likely wish he had a little more ; and once in condi- 
tion he will keep there. 
.The appetite of the dog, like that of his master, is 



GENERAL DIETARY. 77 

sometimes capricious, and occasionally he will turn from 
a wholesome and appetizing dish. Of course it is a sign 
of disturbance, yet too much significance should not be 
attached to it ; moreover, it may generally be accepted as 
evidence that nature has called a halt and nourishment 
for the time being cannot be properly disposed of. It is 
better, therefore, in such a case, provided the dog seems 
well, to remove his food and allow him to fast until the next 
regular time for feeding. And if mere derangement has 
caused the loss of appetite more than likely it will in the 
mean time have been recovered from and he will after- 
wards eat heartily. If, however, he is not disposed to do 
so his food should be again taken from him. 

Some owners will think this severe treatment, and that 
their dogs would be in danger of starving were they denied 
food for three or four days. As a matter of fact dogs 
have endured abstinence for nearly thirty days. There- 
fore, in the absence of other symptoms a loss of appetite 
need not occasion great uneasiness ; but still its cause 
should be determined if possible, and unless the normal 
condition of things is restored within three or four days 
the victim should be examined by a competent practi- 
tioner, it being accepted that this sign then points 
strongly to disease. 

Occasionally, but fortunately not often, are encountered 
dogs that while apparently well are what are termed shy 
feeders. They never eat greedily of any food, and nearly 
all, if not all, are victims of derangement or disease, and 
very generally of the digestive organs. Therefore, the 
starvation treatment would never do for them, and 
unusual consideration must be exhibited and they be 
fed on the foods for which they show decided prefer- 
ences, provided they are wholesome and easily digested. 
But in the mean time everv effort should be made to 



yS KENNEL SECRETS. 

discover and overcome the cause of the impairment and 
improve the general health by means of carefully regu- 
lated exercise. 

During the summer months, dogs, like mankind, are at 
times much depressed by the heat, and when so all their 
powers are more or less enfeebled. Digestion of course 
shares in this decline in vigor, and it follows that its 
duties should, for the time being, be made as light as 
possible. To this end the quantity of meat, the dog's 
heartiest food, can properly be reduced somewhat and 
the deficiency supplied by vegetables, and especially" 
those that grow above ground, for not only are they no 
tax on the digestive organs but by their action on the 
bowels and blood they greatly favor comfort under 
exposure to heat. Moreover, where this salutary change 
in diet is made dogs are much less liable to suffer from 
skin eruptions attended with intense itching. 

Another important rule for hot weather is to cook each 
day's food on the day that it is to be fed out, and failing 
in this, all meats, broths and soups, kept over night for 
the following day's feeding, should be recooked before they 
are served, for such foods decompose quickly and during 
this change virulent poisons are developed. In truth 
dogs are capable of resisting food poisons to a wonderful 
degree, but just how far their resistant powers extend is 
not known, and there is reason for the belief that not a 
few of the now mysterious visitations of sickness in the 
kennels are due to these food poisons. Consequently 
recooking by boiling must be accepted as advisable, and 
if this is kept up for ten or fifteen minutes all such poisons 
will with certainty be destroyed. 

In closing, the fact is again urged that dogs young and 
old are often overfed, and if so, while they seem to be 
doing well at first and putting on fat, puppies at least 



:# 





^^ 



GENERAL DIETARY. 79 

sooner or later are sure to grow thin in consequence; and 
the same result is often noted with mature dogs. There 
is truth in the old saying that one may starve with a 
stomach full. Persistently overfeed a baby and it will 
waste away and die, and the same error in feeding a 
puppy is likely to result as disastrously. 

Overfeeding is scarcely likely to kill a mature dog but 
it will surely put him out of condition — make him thin, 
dispirited and ailing, and his coat harsh and staring. But 
few appreciate this fact however, and when dogs present 
symptoms induced by gluttony they are generally fed even 
more generously. 

A dog that is allowed perfect freedom is not often made 
ill in consequence of over-eating, because free exercise is 
his remedy, but one much on the chain soon suffers greatly 
from the ill effects of this habit. And this important fact 
should be kept in sight and have due weight in estimating 
the amount of food required. 

A word of protest here against allowing dogs to become 
too fat. This fault is a common one among owners of large 
breeds, and some judges at bench shows do much to 
encourage it. The term "condition " as used by them is 
decidedly elastic, but these judges generally appear to 
consider a large dog in condition when he is well rounded 
out even by an excessive accumulation of fat. Yet a 
sporting dog to be in good condition must be compara- 
tively lean ; while all others that are really in good con- 
dition are in good health, free from any excess of fat, and 
firm and hard in muscles and flesh. 

Finally, not only should the food of dogs be of good 
quality and carefully prepared, but it should be served up 
in dishes that are sweet and clean. Many authors have 
discussed the dirt-eating propensity of these animals and 
reached the conclusion that their food should be thrown 



8o 



KENNEL SECRETS. 



upon the ground. The propensity in question however is 
indicative of a derangement somewhere within the system, 
and must be likened to the abnormal appetite for slate 
pencils, chalk, etc., which is sometimes noted in girls who 
are suffering from poverty of the blood. 





CHAPTER VI. 



KENNELLING. 



Health is the dog's natural condition and he would 
rarely know any other were he given freedom and left to 
himself. But he is put under restraint, his supply of sun- 
shine and pure air narrowed, and he is exposed to other 
unfriendly influences which must draw him away from 
Nature, — who is constantly struggling to keep him and 
all others in her domain free from ills, — and of these influ- 
ences some of the most potent lie in the familiar and 
faulty kennel conditions. 

"Any place is good enough for a dog" is an expression 
which one hears with distressing frequency, yet it is 
scarcely more contemptible than the practices of many 
who pretend to care for him yet house him through all 
seasons in small boxes which scarcely afford more than 
mere covering, or in out-buildings, cold, draughty, damp, 
ill-kept and contaminated with emanations that must 
inevitably, sooner or later, undermine his constitution 
and impoverish his health, as well as make him a ready 
victim to inflammatory diseases. 

No valid excuse can be given for faulty kennelling, no 

8i 



82 KENNEL SECRETS. 

matter where the owners live or how poor they are, for he 
who is unable to provide suitable quarters for his dog. else- 
where can share his own roof with him, and this no person 
of sense will be ashamed to do. But the problem of hous- 
ing can scarcely be as easily disposed of in all instances, 
for there are quite a number of varieties of dogs which for 
their own welfare should be quartered beyond the living 
rooms of their masters ; but still, the solution can be 
reached even where every trifling expense must be felt. 

The most primitive kennel is a large and stoutly con- 
structed barrel of the kind used in these days for alcohol, 
kerosene oil and many other fluids. This placed on its 
side and blocked up a foot or more from the ground by 
stones, bricks or wood, and with a wide board inside for a 
floor, would afford fairly good summer quarters for a small 
dog, which if unchained during the mild season would not 
likely seek shelter except in stormy weather. 

But while such a device might answer its purpose there 
are not many owners, even among the poorest, who would 
be content with it, nor has it any advantages beyond those 
of a packing case or "dry-goods box" of goodly size if the 
top and sides of the same are covered by tarred paper. 
And the latter is certainly more sightly, while its cost is 
less than that of a barrel. 

These boxes are used altogether for summer quarters by 
some breeders of varieties of medium sizes who place 
them about in the yards, providing one for each dog ; and 
theirs is certainly a commendable custom, for dogs so 
treated are nearer nature, therefore healthier than they 
would be in stables, barns or large kennels. Moreover, 
as such boxes are inexpensive they can be burned and 
replaced occasionally during the season, and the necessity 
of whitewashing or using disinfectants and insecticides 
thereby obviated. 



KENNELLING. 83 

A small house could easily be constructed by any 
one accustomed to the use of tools, and for a sum but 
slightly in excess of what a good box or barrel costs ; but 
to insure comfort it would be necessary to build on a dif- 
ferent plan than that so generally considered suitable for 
small out-door kennels. 

The prime essentials in such a building are, amply suffi- 
cient space for the tenant to stand and turn easily, and 
protection from draughts. 

The latter can only be met by building the kennel very 
wide — in fact nearly double the width required merely 
for sleeping quarters — and in this way provide a hall- 
way, as it were, which the tenant must enter from the out- 
side and pass through before he can reach his room. 

In the construction of kennels of this sort "matched 
boards " are generally used and tarred paper put in for 
lining, but while warmth is secured there are decided 
objections to this lining, for moisture accumulates be- 
tween it and the boards, and the quarters are damp for 
many days after a hard rain. Consequently it is best 
always to "batten" over the joints or put on shingles. 

A small window in his room and facing. his master's 
house would be the desire of the tenant had he voice in 
the matter, and were this put in and provisions made for 
a storm window for cold weather the quarters would be 
much healthier for it. 

There are several ways in which convenience in cleanli- 
ness may be favored : one, to hinge one-half of the roof 
to the other half, by which means it can be lifted as 
the lid of a box ; another, to " cut in " a door in front, 
at the side of the hall-way door ; but the best of all is to 
have the entire front hinged at the top so that it can 
be raised, when it will be easy to clean all parts inside. 

The kennel completed and in place, a large platform 



84 KENNEL SECRETS. 

should be biiilt in front that the tenant may sun himself 
without being obhged to lie upon the ground. 

Such a building as this properly situated, kept clean, 
etc., would be comfortable quarters for a dog in pleasant 
weather ; and if long-Goated and hardy and he had plenty 
of exercise in the daytime he might pass the winter nights 
in it were an abundance of bedding put in and a piece 
of carpeting tacked over the door. Yet it has literally 
nothing to recommend it except perhaps its low cost, 
while many serious objections appear, one of which is 
that it must inevitably be damp at times. Consequently, 
to consider it further, the best situation for it, etc., would 
be simply wasting time and space. 

A loose box in a stable of stock will do nicely for sleep- 
ing quarters, but he who has neither this nor other suita- 
ble out-house should build for his dog something deserving 
the name of kennel. Consenting to do so he will consider 
first the great requisites, which are dryness, air, ^sunshine, 
freedom from draughts, protection from cold, and con- 
venience. 

If he has a choice of situations he should take the high 
ground as most favorable because of surface drainage, for 
nothing is more important in the construction of this, and 
for that matter every building, than that its foundation be 
protected from dampness, which, by the way, is an influ- 
ence positively destructive to dogs. 

If the ground is sloping the floor timbers can be set on 
cedar posts projecting about two feet, but if level a founda- 
tion will be required. Merely a stone wall two feet in 
height will do for this if the soil is light or sandy, but if 
clayey or of other nature calculated to retain moisture it 
will be necessary to build such a wall and fill in with cin- 
ders or make a concrete foundation in this way : Over the 
space the building is to cover lay closely large stones ; fill 



KENNELLI.\ 'G. 85 

in between them with small stones ; cement the top and 
"point " the sides. 

This foundation ought to be two feet in depth, and at 
least one barrel of cement with as much gravel as can 
safely be mixed with it should be used in its construction 
if the contemplated building is of the size about to be 
advised. And the floor timbers laid on it there will be 
absolutely no danger of dampness from the ground. 

If intended for two small dogs or one large one the 
kennel should be nine or ten feet in length ; five feet in 
width ; height at the front nine feet, and at the back 
seven feet. 

The timbers should be of spruce, free from large knots, 
sap or shakes, and of the following dimensions : — 

Sills, 4x4; posts, 4x4; studs, 4x2 — double at open- 
ings, sixteen inches on centres ; plates, 4x2; rafters, 4x2 
— twenty inches on centres ; floor joists, 6x 2 — eighteen 
inches on centres, — and these should be furred up on the 
rear and one end so that the floor when laid will have a 
double pitch of three-quarters of an inch to the foot and 
towards the small door for the dog. 

Cover the rafters of roof and studding which form the 
walls wdth rough boarding ; over this on the walls place 
two thicknesses of Beaver brand sheathing paper. 

Cover the papered walls with spruce clapboards, laid 
43^ inches — but not over this distance — to the weather 
using galvanized iron nails. 

Under all finish around the doors, windows, etc., put on 
tarred paper over the sheathing paper. 

Cover the roof with cedar shingles, laid 4^ inches to 
the weather. 

On the floor joists put down ^ rough boards ; on 
them two thicknesses of tarred paper, — turning the 
same up four inches all around the walls — and over 
all lav a finished floor. 



86 KENNEL SECRETS. 

By building after this plan one will obtain a kennel 
which will be cool in summer but warm in winter and 
thoroughly weather-proof. 

At one end there should be a door to admit the owner; 
while the door for the dog should be at the back and 
where it will open' into his out-door yard. 

This door should be large enough to permit the dog to 
pass through with ease, and it should be hung with " fly 
hinges " that he may push it in or out. 

Inside this door should be placed another so adjusted 
that it will slide up, that the tenant may be confined when 
desirable. 

Mindful of the infinite importance of sunlight, a large 
sash window should be put in in front, and hinged that it 
may be opened when the weather is favorable. It must 
also be protected on the inside by strong wire netting 
securely fastened at top, bottom and sides. 

This window cannot be depended upon for ventilation 
— of infinite importance in a kennel — nor are the small 
ventilating windows which are hinged at the bottom and 
chained at the sides perfectly safe, for the incoming air 
would likely strike the occupant while on the sleeping- 
bench. But this danger of draughts can be wholly obvi- 
ated by what is known as the "Eureka Ventilator" — a 
simple and inexpensive device, which placed high not only 
admits fresh air but draws out the foul air and at the same 
time keeps out the rain and snow. 

As for painting, tints may be used if the owner fancies 
them, and the clapboards be of one color and the "finish " 
another, but three good coats of white paint, made of pure 
white lead and linseed oil only, would be preferable, for 
the reason it would not attract the sun in summer as 
much as dark colors. 

Some breeders will have no other floors to their kennels 




PROF. St. GEORGE MIVART, M.D., F.R.S., F.L.S. F.Z.S. 
Chilworth Eng. 



KENNELLING. 8/ 

than the ground, and this might do in the warm climates, 
or even in the cold were the buildings located on knolls 
and the surface drainage good, or there were trenches on 
all sides to rapidly carry away the water falling from the 
eaves and on the adjacent ground. But available situa- 
tions like this are rare, while to trench and drain securely 
would be quite expensive. And after all a ground floor 
that is perfectly dry even is no better if as good as one of 
boards, provided it is sloped, as directed in the foregoing, 
so that the water used in washing will drain off quickly. 
Earth is a disinfectant, it is true, but like all other agents 
of its kind there are limits to its power, and when it has 
been treated to impurities the emanations from it are not 
only highly offensive but very prejudicial to health. 

Really a ground floor is to be preferred only where the 
dogs have an adjoining yard to which they have free access 
and they are cleanly in their habits, for otherwise it must 
have an absorbent covering and be frequently dug up and 
renewed. 

Returning to the kennel undergoing construction, sleep- 
ing accommodations are next in order, and these are easily 
provided in the form of a bench about six inches in height 
and two or three feet in width — according to the size of 
the dog for which it is intended. This should be at the 
end opposite the door ; and that it may hold the bedding 
it should have a strip of board nailed to its front, while to 
prevent its being gnawed the top of this strip should be 
protected with hoop iron. It should also be built in two 
parts, with about one-third or one-fourth of it stationary, 
and to this part the other should be attached by hinges, so 
that it can be tipped up and back without necessitating 
removal of the bedding. 

A sleeping-bench constructed in this way will greatly 
favor convenience, and the occupants can be easily pre- 



---A«i.?Mfi-taU-'J'«CL'S3r^ 



88 KENNEL SECRETS. 

vented from carrying bones to their beds — a habit which 
is not only unpleasant ' but dangerous, for it has ended in 
death in consequence of intestinal stoppage caused by the 
straw swallowed during the gnawing. 

This arrangement is ample for moderate weather, but as 
soon as winter sets in it will generally be necessary to 
provide a sleeping-box. One might be constructed over 
the bench, but it is cheaper and quite as well to use a 
large packing case. This well filled with bedding will 
furnish warm and cosey sleeping quarters. And economy 
and prudence suggest that it be burned in the spring or 
at once the occupant has infected it with mange, distem- 
per or other contagious disease. 

All that remains to complete the furnishings are a gate 
or screen door, to be hinged to the outer part of the door- 
frame, for use in hot weather, and a storm window for 
winter. 

A kennel constructed on these lines costs much less 
than the average reader will assume — in fact thirty-five, 
or at the most forty, dollars ought to pay for the work and 
materials. It might be built for less and it might cost 
more — all depending of course on the one who pro- 
vided the materials and the quality of work — but the 
largest sum stated should be ample for a well-con- 
structed building. 

But cost what it may it is the very simplest and least 
expensive kind of a kennel, and the man who cannot pro- 
vide as good quarters as this ought not attempt to keep a 
dog. Certainly there is nothing fanciful about it ; it com- 
prises merely the absolute requisites, — dryness, air, sun- 
shine and protection from cold ; and if a puppy is denied 
either of these he will inevitably be weakly and stunted, if 
not worse, while under the same conditions a mature dog 
must as surely decline in health and vigor and become a 
frequent sufferer from disease. 



KENNELLING. 89 

There are yet a few points in connection with this little 
building to be disposed of before going farther into the 
subject of kennelling. It should be so situated that it will 
catch the sun in the early morning and hold it until late 
in the afternoon. And it should always be well venti- 
lated, and the window and doors left open for the pur- 
pose of thorough airing while the tenant is taking his 
walks or scampers. 

At the rear of the kennel there should be a clear space 
of not less than ten feet, to which the dog should have free 
access ; and all the better if a portion of this has a roof 
over it. 

For bedding in winter, straw, coarse hay, or thoroughly 
dried fallen leaves are the best materials for short-coated 
dogs, but for the long-coated they would scarcely do 
because they break up and hang to the coat. In which 
case a piece of carpeting or blanket can be used ; and a 
bedding of this sort is preferable for collies and other dogs 
with long coats. 

During warm weather, dogs generally are more com- 
fortable without bedding, but if any is required long 
pine shavings for choice, because they are objectionable 
to fleas. 

Whatever its nature the bedding should be clean always 
and replaced at least once a week in pleasant weather ; 
while when foggy or rainy more frequent renewal will be 
absolutely necessary, for at such times it must soon 
become damp — in which state it is a grave menace to 
health. 

Several times during the summer — the oftener the 
better — the entire inside of the kennel, not excepting 
the floors, should be treated to a thick coat of freshly 
prepared whitewash, the same being forced into every 
crack and cranny. And by this means all bad odors will 



90 KENNEL SECRETS. 

be removed, perfect cleanliness insured, and fleas and 
other vermin driven out, and for a while at least the 
building will be obnoxious to them. 

Should any of these pests become intolerable at a time 
when to whitewash is not convenient the owner will afford 
much relief if he applies kerosene oil quite freely, by means 
of a brush, to the sleeping-bench and walls. 

As whitewashing is scarcely possible in winter, occa- 
sional fumigations by means of burning sulphur will be 
advisable ; and these should occur on damp days, as the 
agent in question acts best in the presence of moisture. 

The following method suggests itself as the most con- 
venient : Close the small door and ventilator and tack over 
them pieces of carpeting or the like that the fumes may 
not escape. Leave the large door open for hasty exit. 
Place a pan of water on the floor, and in this a small tin 
or old crockery dish holding two handfuls of powdered 
sulphur ; over which pour a little alcohol. Touch a lighted 
match to it and step outside. Assured that the alcohol is 
burning, close the door and cover it with a stable blanket 
— tacking the same every few inches at the edges. 

Four or five hours afterward -open the large door, also 
the window and small door as soon as possible, and give 
the building a thorough airing before the tenant is 
returned to it. 

It is scarcely necessary to add that this is one of the 
most efficient preventives of infectious diseases. 

The kennel to the description of which so much space 
has been devoted is, as stated at first, intended for two 
dogs of small or medium size or a single large one. It 
represents all the requisites for healthy quarters, and those 
who propose to keep a larger number of dogs can build on 
its principles. But of course they must be well informed 
as to the peculiarities of the dogs for which the kennels 



~Mtmmfm 



KENNELLING. 9 1 

are intended before they undertake their construction, 
for what would be suitable for one variety might not be 
so for another. And especially important would be a con- 
sideration of their dispositions, otherwise although the 
number of dogs might be small and the kennel large it 
might not be large enough for them owing to their fight- 
ing propensities. 

For instance, dachshunds and Chesapeakes are savage 
fighters, and only a small number, and oftentimes no more 
than two, can share an apartment, whereas an entire pack 
of hounds might live together in peace and harmony. 

The question of heating would also demand intelligent 
consideration, and manifestly it would never do to put 
short-coated and delicate varieties into kennels kept at a 
temperature which would be comfortable for such dogs as 
St. Bernards. 

Again, in planning for large kennels dog-proof apart- 
ments for bitches in season, quarters for whelping, for pup- 
pies, — young and old, — for the sick, etc., must all be 
duly considered. 

Evidently, therefore, this work is an important one, which 
should be attempted by those only who have had abundant 
experience, and with the varieties for which the buildings 
are intended. 

As for him who quarters his dog in a stable or barn, he 
should give him a place near a window, keep his floor dry 
and clean, and by the means of a sleeping-bench obviate 
the danger of floor-draughts — which are surely fatal to 
development and ruinous to health. Unless the dog can 
go out at will, to maintain dryness in such a place will 
never be easy especially if the flooring is of planking, and 
the best method is to slope and cover it with cement or 
asphalt. But if this is out of the question it should have 
a layer of sawdust or dry and untainted clayey earth, seV- 



92 KENNEL SECRETS. 

eral inches in depth, to hold the impurities and favor the 
removal of the deposits. And the absorbent covering 
should all be renewed at least twice a week, for it must 
soon become foul and throw off poisonous gases that not 
only greatly injure the general health but cause severe 
inflammation of the eyes. 

And even in the face of careful treatment were a dog 
kept much of the time in such quarters the floor would 
likely soon reek with bad odors unless a disinfectant be 
employed. Therefore one should always be at hand and 
used about the bench, woodwork and floor, not alone for 
its deodorizing effect but for its unfriendliness to vermin 
and disease. 

Efficacy, economy and safety all duly considered, the 
permanganate of potassium has as much to recommend it 
as any other agent of its class. It costs at wholesale only 
about fifty cents a pound, and this quantity is sufficient to 
make fifteen gallons of powerful deodorizer, which when 
recently prepared is no mean antiseptic. But as the solu- 
tion rapidly loses its virtues it is best to make it as 
required, by adding a tablespoonful of the crystals to a 
quart of water, and sprinkle it about with a small garden 
watering-pot. 

Summarizing briefly, the paramount essentials in a ken- 
nel are, cleanliness, ample sunlight, an abundance of pure 
air, freedom from dampness and draughts, and protection 
from cold. Where these requirements are all met good 
health may be confidently expected, but where even one 
of them is disregarded, disease will invariably be a fre- 
quent visitor. 




CHAPTER VII. 



EXERCISE. 



Man possesses many great truths that he is slow to 
reduce to practice, and very strangely no small proportion 
of them bear on his physical welfare. He wishes to be 
well and dreads to be sick, yet for some unaccountable 
reason he insists upon indulging his inclination in viola- 
tion of what he knows to be right, and scarcely any sub- 
ject is more unwelcome to him than that of organic law 
which he holds so lightly. 

Among his many shortcomings but few are more pro- 
nounced than failure to give due attention to muscular 
exercise. He recognizes that it is beneficial, and theo- 
retically he is in favor of it, but of enthusiasm, as a rule 
he is surprisingly destitute. His notions of the good it 
does are also decidedly hazy, and when pressed to define 
them he usually indulges in vague generalities, among 
which appear opening the pores, getting up a muscle, 
brightening the spirits, etc. Usually, also, he is content 
with his indifferent knowledge of the subject, and his 
methods of applying what little he has are quite as 
erratic and incomprehensive as his definition. 

93 



94 KENNEL SECRETS. 

Underrating the value of exercise to himself he is far 
from likely to form a correct estimate of its importance in 
animal life unless it is literally forced upon him, and espe- 
cially reluctant is he to accept the truth when conviction 
means some sacrifice of his convenience, as it generally 
does where dogs are involved. 

Considering all this, the writer feels it his duty to dis- 
cuss at considerable length the specific effects of exercise, 
the evils of too close confinement and the means by which 
dogs may be held in check and yet suffer much less injury 
than is generally inflicted by restraint. 

Glancing at the physiology of exercise there first appears 
the fact that a very large part of the body consists of mus- 
cular tissue, in which is contained nearly one-quarter of 
the blood, and by it fully one-fourth of the nerve energy 
stored up in the body is turned into work. This tissue 
is made up of single muscles, the number of which in the 
dog is not accurately known, but as there are over five 
hundred in the human body it is fair to assume that this 
number is not very greatly in excess of that in all the 
higher order of animals. Every muscle has blood-vessels 
and nerves, and fresh blood is supplied its substance by 
the heart through its arteries and the fine network of 
small vessels formed by a minute subdivision of them. 
These small vessels open into and are continuous with 
veins of about the same size, and they in turn are united 
into larger and larger vessels that finally connect with 
the channels by which the blood is returned to the 
heart. 

Once a muscle begins working the blood stream pass- 
ing through it becomes swollen and presents decided 
changes in quality. The blood which enters is bright 
red in color, rich in oxygen and poor in carbonic acid, 
while that which leaves it is dark blue in color and of a 




HER GRACE THE DUCHESS OF NEWCASTLE. 



EXERCISE. 95 

higher temperature ; it has parted with much of its oxygen 
and has taken up a large quantity of carbonic acid, also 
various products from chemical changes that have occurred 
in the food materials supplied the muscle by the blood, 
and in the muscle itself. Obviously this is the condition 
demanded for the integrity of a muscle, for it is now receiv- 
ing a full supply of fresh blood and there is free and rapid 
drainage of all its noxious waste matters. Go a little fur- 
ther and by means of proper food in sufficient quantity 
and an abundance of pure air render the blood rich in 
nutritive elements and oxygen, also allow the muscle due 
intervals of rest, and it must be not only healthy but 
increase in size and weight. 

As exercise acts on a single muscle so it acts on the 
muscular system as a whole — it enlarges and strengthens 
it. But the muscles themselves are not the only parts of 
the body that are benefited by exercise, for brought into 
action by it they in turn increase the rapidity of the flow 
of blood to the heart. This vital organ also works more 
vigorously and a larger quantity of blood is sent through 
the lungs ; while the breathing is quickened and more 
oxygen absorbed. The fires within are now brightened 
up, and in consequence the skin and other organs of secre- 
tion and excretion are brought into action to get rid of the 
excess of heat and the clinkers and ashes, as it were, the 
products of combustion. Thus exercise acts as a spur and 
brings every important organ in the body into more active 
play. 

Now, deprive the body of sufficient exercise and note 
the result. The digestive organs are among the first to 
show signs of distress and decline in power, and their work 
is but sluggishly and imperfectly performed ; the food con- 
stituents taken up from them by the blood are not properly 
oxidized ; drainage of noxious products is not only impeded 



96 KENNEL SECRETS. 

in the muscles but in all the organs which constitute the 
body's sewerage system, and in consequence this waste 
accumulates to still further lower vitality through its poi- 
sonous action. The digestive organs once weakened are 
soon seriously disordered, and all the time the whole sys- 
tem is sympathizing with them and suffering like derange- 
ment ; the nerves are unstrung ; all the various functions 
are impaired ; the muscles become soft and flabby or fat ; 
good health has gone and disease is imminent. 

These are some of the evil consequences of a denial of 
sufficient exercise ; but there are yet others, and by no 
means the least serious of them is the peculiar tendency 
on the part of the victims to accumulate too much fat, 
which is not alone deposited under the skin and in the 
muscles of the body, but in and around the heart and 
other vital organs. No one needs to be told that meat 
which is lean is tough while that which is fat is tender; 
all may not know, however, that the difference is due not 
only to the presence of the fat but to its degenerating 
influence upon the muscle fibres. The heart — which is a 
muscle — and all other muscles are weakened as they are 
encroached upon by fat, and even if the same is merely 
deposited around them it mechanically interferes with 
their workings. Too fat dogs, like corpulent men, have 
generally fatty hearts ; moreover, they are "short-winded," 
easily tired by exertion and singularly inclined to be con- 
stantly ailing. 

Evidences of too close confinement are plainly mani- 
fested in dogs, but unfortunately they are seldom rightly 
interpreted, and oftentimes other influences, which if 
related are only distantly so, are held entirely responsi- 
ble for them. For instance, people chain up their dogs 
and give them meat, and if they become savage this food 
alone is blamed for it. As a matter of fact the restraint 



EXERCISE. 97 

is very generally the cause of the changed demeanor, for 
under it good brisk circulation and healthy organic action 
— which promote buoyancy of spirit and contentment — 
are simply impossible, and these happy conditions must 
invariably give way to languor and irritability if not 
ferocity. 

There is no reason why a sound and healthy puppy 
should not develop well and harmoniously if he is treated 
properly, but it is a deplorable fact that a well-proportioned 
and symmetrically built dog is far from the rule, and espe- 
cially among those raised in thickly settled places, where 
dogs are often trained to the chain at the earliest possible 
age, and long before they have reached maturity are wrung 
at the shoulders and dragged out of shape in consequence 
of their constant tugging. 

It is simply the height of cruelty to keep a dog on the 
chain or otherwise too closely coniined, for not only will 
it break him in spirit, make him dull and sullen and gnarl 
his body, but it must undermine his constitution and bring 
upon him a long train of evils, prominent among which 
are indigestion, eczema, disease of the kidneys, poverty of 
the blood, rheumatism and even convulsions. 

There is also a moral responsibility that must not be 
lost sight of while weighing this fault. A man may say 
that his dog is his own to do with as he likes ; and this is 
true, yet not by any means in the widest sense, for he has 
no more right to abuse his dog than he has to abuse his 
child. In either instance he equally ill-treats one of God's 
creatures and in the sight of Heaven stands convicted of 
an outrage alike in kind if not degree. 

It must now be evident that the subject of exercise 
deserves more attention than is usually given it, and that 
when properly regulated it not only promotes well-bal- 
anced growth in the muscles and bones, and sustains and 



98 KENNEL SECRETS. 

improves the bodily health, but without it good form, 
health and vigor are absolutely impossible. And if these 
facts have been impressed upon the minds of readers 
the space devoted to this preamble will have been well 
employed. 

Diverting the subject to puppies, obviously they can 
be raised in large towns and cities, but, as with young 
children, the country is pre-eminently the best place for 
them until they are well on the way to maturity, because 
of its superior hygienic advantages and opportunities for 
greater freedom. It is, indeed, a fact that country-bred 
puppies develop far better than those raised in cities, and 
while the former generally show up plump, strong, active 
and hardy, as often the latter are sadly deficient in these 
eminent qualities. And for puppies which are to be 
eventually trained for field work the country specially 
recommends itself, for it abounds in common sights — 
as cows, sheep, hens, pigeons, etc. — with which it is 
very essential that they should be familiar before their 
education commences, otherwise it must be an extremely 
difficult task to teach them and hold them down to their 
lessons. 

Puppies kept within doors and in small pens seldom if 
ever develop properly, but go over on their legs and feet 
and fall out of shape generally. Lack of exercise, which 
prevents their muscles from growing and strengthening 
as they ought, is largely responsible for these defects, but 
not entirely, for impure air, want of sufficient sunshine 
and other unhealthful influences are all active and tend to 
produce them by undermining the constitution and open- 
ing the door to rickets. The largest breeds are the first 
to decline under these influences, and so difficult is it to 
raise them except where the conditions are favorable and 
abundant opportunities for exercise in pure air and sun- 



EXERCISE. 99 

shine are afforded, fanciers of experience generally let 
their bitches "go over" if they come in use in the fall or 
early winter. 

It follows, therefore, that puppies which cannot have 
constant liberty must be provided with yards — the 
largest possible — that they may be out and playing 
about on pleasant days. And at least one side of these 
enclosures — preferably that facing the master's house — 
should be of wire netting or narrow boards nailed on per- 
pendicularly, with spaces of not less than an inch between 
them and extending to the ground, that the puppies may 
easily see out while on all fours, for were they to stand 
much on their hind legs to look over or through the sides 
they would be quite sure to suffer deformity in those 
parts. 

The yards should be invariably so located that all parts 
of them will receive direct rays of the sun during a consid- 
erable portion of every day, because it is utterly impossi- 
ble for a puppy to thrive and grow strong and rugged in 
quarters to which they are inaccessible ; moreover, where 
the sun cannot enter disease is sure to be lurking. 

The terribly destructive influences of filth on health 
must also be duly appreciated, and provisions made for free 
drainage and to favor easy and thorough cleaning. While 
if the yards are covered with loam, gravel, sand or other 
material that is capable of absorbing moisture, a hard sur- 
face will be absolutely necessary, otherwise it must soon 
bc-come loaded with impurities, the emanations from which 
would prove in a high degree poisonous. 

Consequently the ground having been sloped it should 
be flagged, cemented or covered with other concrete ; 
after which it will be easy to clean the surface thor- 
oughly,' and to this end the hose should be used every 
day in summer and quite frequently in winter. 



lOO KENNEL SECRETS. 

After puppies are three months old, at all times when 
the weather is fine they can be allowed to leave their ken- 
nels at will and enter their yards, each of which should be 
provided with a low bench for them to lie on when tired 
of play, and an old piece of canvas or something of the 
sort to cover a corner of the enclosure on very hot days. 
But younger puppies must not be turned into yards and 
left to themselves, for were it done and they permitted to 
lie on flags or concrete, even in hot weather they would 
be likely to suffer serious injury in consequence. There- 
fore always while these youngsters are out they shoidd 
be kept on the move and returned to quarters for their 
naps. 

When it is impossible to provide a yard with a hard sur- 
face and the other conditions — ample sunlight, etc. — 
advised, instead of using indifferent quarters the owner 
should give the pTuppies the run of his own dooryard and 
lawns, being careful always while yet they are very young 
not to let them out until the ground is dry. And he 
should keep in mind the fact, already made prominent in 
" Feeding," that in order that puppies may be generously 
fed and thrive as they ought and come up firm and strong 
on good and shapely legs and feet they must be kept on 
the move much of the time between daylight and dark. 

A yard suitable for older puppies and mature dogs has 
certain conditions which are important enough to deserve 
description here. 

It goes without saying that in every instance it should 
be as large as possible. For dogs of varieties of fairly 
good size, pickets three or four inches in width and eight 
feet long may be used in building the fence ; and they, by 
the way, should be nailed on inside the rails. 

After the posts have been set in place a trench not less 
than one foot in depth should be dug between them in 



EXERCISE. lOI 

which to sink the pickets, and in filling this stones that 
can be conveniently gathered should be mixed with the 
dirt, and all tamped down as hard as possible. 

The pickets now stand seven feet above ground, and 
unless the tenant of the yard is of small breed this is none 
too high, for even among heavy and seemingly clumsy 
dogs there are not a few that can make their way over a 
fence six feet in height. 

To save the pickets from being gnawed two or more 
base boards will be required, and these should be from 
six to eight inches in width and about three inches apart. 

A fence of this sort freely admits the air and sunshine, 
and the rails being on the outside and nothing within to 
afford a foothold, to jump it is well-nigh impossible. If, 
however, an inmate succeeded in making his way over, 
there would be nothing to do but to build the fence 
higher, although some advise putting a ledge around the 
tops of the pickets for the jumper to strike his head 
against. But this plan is not advisable, for the blow or 
fall might cause serious injury, and one should not take 
any chances with good dogs. 

A fence of pickets has been advised for the reasons that 
it is cheaper than any other, is easily constructed and 
quite durable. Without doubt, however, an iron fence is 
the best and safest in every way, but such is expensive, 
although not necessarily very decidedly so if made of rods 
passed through top and bottom rails spiked to posts and 
set at about the same distances from the ground as the 
rails of picket fences of about the same height. 

A more sightly fence than one of wooden pickets can 
be made of wire-netting, and were the same closely woven 
and of wire of good size it would do nicely were the dogs 
of small breeds. But this netting must be very strong to 
hold a large dog. 



102 



KEA'A'KL SECA'/'TS. 



Whili' ;i ])icki'l: IciU'c i^onst riictrd :is lU'Sciihcd is siiita- 
l>lc tni most (lo^s, tluMf arc a Irw notoiimis Itiiiiovvt'is and 
<;naw(-MS — woikiii", haricrs and dachshunils, lot' instaiu'L', 
— whii'h can oidy hi- held Uy a " tlose-board " I'imuc ha\'in<;- 
;i loiiiidal ion (i| larjH' sloncs lo a dcptli ol two led. And 
this lad su,i;i;i'sls I lit' adx'isaltilih' oT all making; lluansclvcs 
lainiliar with the pci idiai il ics ol I lie doi^'s wliicli lliry ait- 
|)in ihasini; hcloii' llic\ nndcilakr lo hinld (juaiUa's loi' 
I hem. 

riu' vMonnd wilhin I'vciy doi; \aiil on!_;iit lo be sloi)in^", 
lli;i( lapid ilrainas^i- may ot-cur ;d'tta lain falls. And it 
should hr j'iviai a hard surface as advised for I>n|)|)y yards. 
Hul the sid)ieel of expiMise is one that must l)e t'onsidia-ed 
l)\ ni.mv riMtUas, therefoi-L' it beeonu's necessary to adxisc 
how the iMound should be treated when it is im|)ossibU' to 
cover il with Ikii'.s, c(auenl or other concaele. 

II the soil is I ich oi tlu' subsoil ol cla\', and in lacl il it 
isolhei than saud\' or f;ravelly, the siu'face must inevita- 
bly be \eiv soft and nuiddy ilurinj;' nian\' (la\'s of the \'ear 
unless tluai' is v\iok\ drainaj^c. Tlu' (.Msiest and least 
expensive means to this laid.and oin- vaa \' iicarh' as ellcc- 
tive as any in <;aa)uiul like this, is known as the blind-drain. 
And a sufficient number of these drains bavin*;" been laid, 
the surface of the entire \'ard should bi" covered lo the 
depth o{ three or loui inches with sand, coal-dust oi" ashes, 
bv which means it will be nruU' C()ni]')arativeh' div ; and 
that il should be so is ol the highest import. ince, lor 
dam|)ness has a most destructive influence on doij;s, and 
especially thosi> that ai'c under restraint — in fact \\\cvc is 
scarcely a moie potent causi' of disease. 

In all \aids tluac should be a (.■ond\)rtably large bench 
for the doi;s lo lie upon, and this can propiM^ly have a root 
owa it at all timi's, also b.ick .uul sides in cold wi'ather, 
iluiini; which it shouKl stand in the most sunii\ [)lace, 




MR. S. E. SHIRLEY, 
Stratford-on-Avon, Eng. 



EXERCISE. 103 

while in summer it should be much in the shade, for 
dogs are frequently victims of what is evidently sun- 
stroke. 

Here, as in puppy yards, frequent cleaning is impera- 
tively demanded, and especially in hot weather, when the 
heat acting upon filth makes it literally a hot-bed for dis- 
ease. And, by the way, the breeder is especially fortu- 
nate who is so situated that he can provide two kennels 
and two yards for his puppies so that one set can be used 
one day, then vacated and thoroughly washed out and left 
to dry until the following day, when it can be again occu- 
pied and the other treated in the same manner. 

While insisting that all puppies and dogs should have 
yards in which to exercise themselves and take the air on 
pleasant days the fact is duly appreciated that in occa- 
sional instances this provision will be absolutely impossi- 
ble ; and these appear in cities, in many sections of which 
the breathing spaces between the houses are often only a 
few feet in width, and in which it is the common custom 
to chain dogs to small out-door kennels during the day 
and admit them to the kitchens or basements at night. 
But even in the presence of such unfavorable conditions 
the owners can manage to lessen somewhat the force of 
the confinement. 

Where the door-yards of houses are very small the fol- 
lowing is often resorted to with merciful effect : A post 
long enough to extend at least six feet above ground is set 
up ten, twenty or thirty feet — as far as possible from the 
kennel — and to this post is made fast a telegraph wire. 
After stringing on the same a strong, well-made ring at 
least two inches in diameter, the free end of the wire is 
attached to a building, fence or another post like the first 
in the rear of the kennel if a small one, while to the ring 
sliding freely on the wire the chain of the dog is fastened 



I04 KENNEL SECRETS. 

with a snaffle hook. Then although held in check he has 
still quite a range. 

The amount of exercise required by dogs varies in the 
different breeds also in different members of the same 
breed, therefore it would be quite as impossible to fix a 
rule applicable to all as it would be to fashion a mask that 
would fit the faces of all mankind. The largest dogs as a 
whole are singularly sluggish and inactive if left to them- 
selves, consequently they are more trouble to their owners, 
who must take them out at least once a day and give 
them slow, steady exercise for an hour or more. The 
smaller varieties, on the other hand, are in the habit of 
leaping and scampering about as soon as they are released, 
and therefore make considerable exercise for themselves 
in a comparatively short time. 

But a wide distinction must be made between the sport- 
ing and non-sporting in the matter of exercise. Both 
varieties must have it, yet a denial falls far more heavily 
on the former than on the latter, for as a whole they have 
a very much greater fund of energy and spirits, and when 
restrained become nervous and restless, and in conse- 
quence more or less physically deranged. And to them a 
spin of from five to ten miles at least ought to be given 
every day in order to keep them good and hard ; while 
they would be all the better were the distance twice as 
great. 

The fact must not be lost sight of that to obtain 
the greatest good from exercise it must be made attrac- 
tive and enjoyable. Considering which it is advisable to 
take all dogs of whatever varieties for long strolls as often 
as possible ; and where spins are out of the question, if 
these outings are indulged in two or three times a week 
and on the intervening days the dogs are let loose and 
encouraged to exercise themselves vigorously for half an 



WAVY-COATED RETRIEVERS. 




MR. S. E. SHIRLEY'S Moonstone. 




Mr. L. Allen Shuter's Darenth. 



EXERCISE. 105 

hour or so mornings and nights they will generally man- 
age to keep their systems in fairly good tone. It some- 
times becomes necessary, however, to put dogs in training, 
as for shows, coursing, etc., or to give them an unusual 
amount of exercise for the purpose of restoring health ; 
in which case the reader will find much to assist him in 
the part devoted to " Exhibiting Dogs." 

It is an excellent plan to teach a young dog to run after 
a ball and retrieve it, for ever afterward on occasions 
when he must be denied his usual stroll his master can 
by this means limber him up very quickly and at the same 
time afford him a great deal of enjoyment. Some breeders 
resort to a piece of dried beef or fresh skin to encourage 
exercise in the yards, hanging it just beyond the reach of 
the dogs, and at this many of them will jump at frequent 
intervals. Some, also, favor exercise by stretching hur- 
dles across the yards, over which the inmates must jump 
as they make their way about — a device which recom- 
mends itself especially with dogs that lack development 
in their hind quarters. 

There is also the "wheel" and the so-called "tread- 
mill," which latter is built on the same principles as 
the power part of threshing and wood-sawing machines 
worked by horses. Fighting dogs are trained largely on 
the former and they are also taught to seize and hold on to 
an empty bag, piece of carpet or the like, which is strung 
high enough to prevent their legs touching the ground. 
This gives strength to the jaws, and in fact to all the fore 
parts and muscles, and so renders the dogs capable of 
maintaining their hold for a long time once they have 
fixed their jaws. And they who have bull terriers, for 
instance, would do well to give them a part of their exer- 
cise in this way. 

While doers are out for exercise their owners or care- 



Io6 KENNEL SECRETS. 

takers shouUl \\o\ he unniiiullul ol: the fact that to push it 
[Xist the jieiiit ot tatii;ue will eaiise even >;reatcr injury 
than a denial, and it will be well lor them in regulating" 
the anuumt to be largeh' inllueneed b}' the effeets \\\w\\ 
themselves under like eonditions. The brain-worker of 
sedentary habits knows well that were he withimt any 
preparatorv work to run a halt, ox even a quarter, ot a mile 
at the top of his speetl he would be literally " broken up," 
and for soN'eral daNS suffer in eonsequence of the indis- 
eretion, e\en it he escapetl serit)us and lasting injurN-. 

And \et sueh a man is not at all unlikel)' to unehain his 
oUl tlog, but rarelv released trom his kennel, anil make 
him t'oUow his team until he tlriips from exhaustion. And 
often men who now and then hunt tor a thu' will la\' up 
their (.logs for months even, with imly oeeasii>nal rambles 
in the streets and alwaA's at heel, anil witlunit wwx pre- 
paratory exereise send them into the held and make them 
"run their legs off." Assuredh' that such inflictions as 
these are simph- barbarous and ruinous to health must be 
self-e\'iileni to every person ha\'ing a fair amount of intel- 
ligence. 

Never allow a dog to take N'iolent exercise wMthin two 
hours after eating a heart\- meal. Prepare him for hard 
work as the athlete is trained — h\ easy stages — remem- 
bering always that the development of strength and endur- 
ance requires time as well as exercise, also that one too 
hard run while the svstem is unprepared is sure to 
derange it seriouslv and ma\- produce convulsions and 
grave organic disease. 

"The merciful man will be merciful to his beast." Let 
owners bear in mind that were they to take a brisk walk 
and while heated up stop and lie down uncovered in a 
cold room thcN' could scarceh' escape the penalties of the 
indiscretion, no matter how hardv tlun- might be. Duly 



CURLY-COATED RETRIEVERS. 




Mr. Samuel Darbey's Tiverton Victor. 




Mr. Henry Skipworth's Black Gipsy. 



EXERCISE. 107 

appreciating this very evident fact they will not be likely 
to turn their dogs into the kennels after a hard run with- 
out rubbing them down and drying them as they would 
their horses after a like experience. Nor will they fail to 
have an eye to their feet, realizing as they must that a 
splinter or bit of glass may have been taken up or a cut 
received, in which event serious trouble might result 
were the accident not discovered early. 

A word here as to dogs much used in the stud. They 
should not work in the field nor be allowed in other ways 
to exert themselves violently, but should be kept at home 
most of the time, in large yards, and when taken out be 
given long, slow, steady exercise. Their special duty is a 
tax upon their energies, and if required to perform it 
often, high health and vigor cannot be maintained unless 
every precaution is observed. 

The first step is to prevent muscular strain — -as that 
occurring in hard runs — which means a wasteful expendi- 
ture of vitality. Such exercise, by the way, is considered 
by many breeders not only harmless brt absolutely essen- 
tial to good development of the muscles. But this is an 
absurdity, pure and simple, for it is upon the duration and 
number of movements, not upon their intensity, that the 
development of a muscle depends. For instance the man 
who exercises for ten minutes with dumb-bells weighing 
two pounds each and puts them up thirty times a minute 
will develop the muscles worked far more quickly than he 
who uses ten-pound dumb-bells for the same period and 
puts them up only eight or ten times a minute. More- 
over, were both beginners the former would likely gain and 
the latter lose strength, and the loss would be attributable 
to the muscular strains. 

Obviously, therefore, hard and fast work is not only not 
necessary to muscular development and strength but 



io8 



KENNEL SECRETS. 



beyond certain lines it is prejudicial to it. Hence, slow, 
easy exercise alone is proper and safe for the dog that 
is much used in the stud ; and under it he will not 
only husband his strength and vitality but add to 
the fund, which must always be large to insure robust 
and vigorous offspring. And were this rule never vio- 
lated and stud dogs wisely and generously fed, the rate 
of mortality among puppies would be much lower than 
it is now, and crooked forelegs, cow-hocks, and other 
deformities, far less familiar sights. 





CHAPTER VIII. 



THE DRINKING WATER. 



Many have reached the conclusion that because dogs 
will drink from stagnant pools it is a matter of indiffer- 
ence to them whether or not their water is clean and 
fresh. Man will also drink from such pools when tor- 
tured by thirst, yet he does not try to convince himself 
that it is refreshing and wholesome. Far from it. He 
practically acknowledges always that the influence of 
the drinking water is cardinal in rank with food, and 
that when polluted both are alike injurious to health. 

But such inconsistency is not unusual with him ; he is 
in fact constantly exhibiting the same fault in dealing with 
simple truths which bear upon his own health, and ever 
slow to recognize their importance in the practical ar- 
rangements of life. Consequently many which he ought 
to admit unhesitatingly, so obviously based as they are on 
sound sense, must be literally forced upon him. 

Yet to his credit it can be said that while slow to ac- 
cept what is best for his own physical welfare or even 
pay due respect to his own instincts he is but seldom re- 
luctant to respect the instincts of animals to which he is 

109 



no KENNEL SECRETS. 

attached, and which as a rule he treats with greater consid- 
eration and better judgment than he does himself; and if 
he fails with them he generally does so through ignorance. 

Narrowing the subject to the drinking water of dogs, it 
is hard to believe that they are often intentionally neg- 
lected, but it is easier to believe that the absurdity noted 
in the beginning is largely accountable for such familiar 
practices as supplying dogs with water but once or twice 
a day even during the hottest weather, and in old wooden 
pails that have seen months and months of service and 
are thickly coated with slime, like the " old oaken bucket " 
of which the poet — who was evidently ignorant of even 
the first principles of hygiene — has so fondly told. 

A glance at the physiology of animals shows that nearly 
three-fourths of the bodies of all consist of water and that 
they part with a large amount of it constantly by the 
lungs, skin and other avenues. Consequently in order 
that health may be maintained there must be a constant 
renewal of this simple but highly important fluid, and it 
must be good and wholesome. 

Water may be all this when placed before a dog but it 
cannot long remain so in the air of a kennel or yard where 
there is more or less decaying vegetable and animal food 
and other filth, for it soon absorbs these baneful exhalations 
and actually becomes to a certain degree poisonous. 
Furthermore, when so exposed and stagnant it frequently 
takes up germs of disease, many of which float easily on 
the air. And if the pail or other vessel in which it stands 
is lined with slimy accumulations it is very evident that 
it must soon become tainted from this source if from no 
other. 

As a matter of fact, because they are denied sufficient 
good, wholesome drinking water is one of the pronounced 
reasons why dogs kept chained or otherwise closely con- 





MR. CHAS. H. MASON, 
NEW YORK. 



THE DRINKING WATER. Ill 

fined are frequently ailing. And wherever this fault has 
been constant for a considerable length- of time nutrition 
is poor ; the victims as a rule are under weight, show 
their ribs, have a tucked-up appearance and are out at 
their elbows ; their hair is dry and lustreless ; they are 
given to scratching, and much of the time have more or 
less extensive skin eruptions. 

A change of demeanor also usually characterizes them, 
and instead of being keen, alert and active they are more 
or less dull, listless and sluggish. Again, when not actu- 
ally ailing their appetite is often capricious, and symp- 
toms are frequently manifested — appreciable, perhaps, 
only to the trained eye — which indicate that they have 
some disorder, and generally of the digestive system, kid- 
neys or bladder. 

Manifestly, therefore, the drinking water should be 
above suspicion, and where it is obtainable only from 
wells and must be carried to the kennels by hand a fresh 
supply is required at least three times daily in cold 
weather and twice as often during hot weather. The 
drinking vessels must also be kept clean. And these, in- 
stead of being old tin pans or cans, or of wood, should be 
of earthen-ware or iron with glazed or enamelled linings. 

But he who gets together a kennel of ten or more dogs 
and is obliged to intrust their care largely to "help" 
must soon learn that faithful obedience during his absence 
is by no means invariably the rule, and that the chances 
are that if neglect is exhibited it will be in the matter of 
watering ; consequently the safest course to pursue is to 
provide running water. 

On first thought this may seem to necessitate consid- 
erable outlay, yet such will be rarely the case where the 
kennels and yards are located near the owner's residence 
and that is piped and furnished with water from a com- 



112 KENNEL SECRETS. 

mon supply, as in all large towns and cities. And if 
small rubber hose- will not do for connecting pipes, it be- 
ing necessary to convey the water a considerable distance, 
small iron piping can be bought for a mere song. 

But whatever the situation, unless of course the dogs' 
quarters are very distant from the main supply, to pipe 
them will be comparatively easy and far less expensive 
than one uninformed would suppose. And excluding the 
fact that it is a most merciful provision and considering 
it solely from the standpoint of economy it must cor- 
dially recommend itself. 

At this point the writer is reminded that some who 
have written on the management of dogs, while not abso- 
lutely condemning the custom, have yet questioned the ad- 
visability of keeping water constantly before them, giving 
as a reason that too frequent lapping would likely become 
a habit that would be prejudicial to health. 

This theory does not suggest itself as a sound one. In 
truth the desire for water is increased by frequent indul- 
gences, and they in turn increase tissue change and thus 
multiply the products of tissue waste which result from 
it. But water removes these waste products as fast as 
they are formed, and in consequence of the various 
changes the appetite is increased. Hence water may be 
said to act as a true tonic. 

Where too much water is drunk the tissue change is in- 
creased to such an extent that the body must waste rapidly 
unless there is an increase in the quantity of food suffi- 
cient to compensate for the loss. For instance, if a cor- 
pulent person will drink two gallons of water every 
twenty-four hours and meanwhile limit himself to the 
same quantity of food daily to which he was accustomed 
before the experiment he will rapidly pull down in weight. 
But he will require a tremendous will-power to resist 



THE DRINKING WATER. II3 

his appetite, made ravenous by the greatly increased tissue 
change. 

It is scarcely likely, however, that dogs will carry the 
water-drinking habit to that point where the body must 
waste in consequence ; and even were they to do so it 
would be necessary merely to increase the quantity of food. 

As excess of water augments tissue change a diminu- 
tion of water lessens it, and when this change has fallen 
below the normal the waste products- — which may be 
compared to the ashes from a fire — are formed faster than 
they are removed, and the system, choking up with them, 
is peculiarly liable to disease. Now apply the rake in the 
form of water and the products in question will be removed 
and health restored. 

The writer has made experiments on mongrels for the 
purpose of determining the effects of a denial of sufficient 
water, and his kennel being supplied with running water 
he has had ample opportunity of judging of the effects of 
an unlimited quantity. The conclusions reached are, that 
dogs can safely be given all the water they may desire to 
drink, and unless they have all they want they fall off in 
condition. He has also satisfied himself that a dog which 
is closely confined not only drinks more but actually 
needs more than one which has constant liberty. And 
not impossibly an explanation of this is, that a dog which 
exercises freely, by this means in a great measure elimi- 
nates the waste products, whereas he that is denied exer- 
cise must largely depend upon water for their removal, 
and he instinctively drinks more to this end. 

The difficulties in maintaining healthfulness among 
dogs increase with the number that are kept together, and 
where there are ten, twenty or more, the owner must sur- 
round them with all the best hygienic conditions possible 
and be precise in all his methods of management, other- 



114 KENNEL SECRETS. 

wise they will fall below the standard of health and be 
frequent victims of disease. It can safely be accepted 
also that among all the conditions of health in a kennel 
there are none more imperative than an abundant supply 
of pure water. 

Breeders generally fail to appreciate the fact that water 
is quite as indispensable to the welfare of young puppies 
while on the so-called sloppy foods as to those further 
advanced in life, it being assumed that milk, broths, por- 
ridges, etc., are capable of satisfying thirst and furnishing 
all the water required to meet the wants of the system ; 
and for this reason it is rarely put before them until they 
are six or seven weeks old. 

This must often prove a serious mistake. Puppies are 
notoriously gourmand and when allowed to do so will eat 
until abdominal rupture seems threatened, but if taught 
early to drink water and encouraged to take it freely and 
often, their capacity for food will 'be narrowed and the 
danger of overeating greatly lessened ; moreover, by means 
of it digestion will be greatly favored. 

Now, for two or three months after weaning, these little 
ones are very liable to have colic, diarrhoea and other 
stomach and intestinal disorders which frequently result 
fatally, and even if recovery takes place the victims have 
had such a set-back their futures are prejudiced and they 
fail to thrive and mature well. But that such attacks are 
common is not surprising considering how puppies are 
fed. If the food is well chosen — which is far from the 
rule — they are generally allowed to overeat, and in con- 
sequence their stomachs are soon dilated and weakened, 
and the lining membrane more or less irritated. Beyond 
this, digestion is sluggish ; one meal is not disposed of 
before another is eaten, and most of the time there are 
food remnants in the stomach undergoing decomposition 




MR. C. H. MASON'S POINTER, BEAUFORT. 



THE DRINKING WATER. II5 

and causing flatulency or what is popularly termed bloat- 
ing. Then if the food does not excite thirst the irrita- 
tion in the stomach must inevitably do so ; and in young 
puppies it must often be mistaken for hunger. 

If milk, for instance, is given it will subdue the uncom- 
fortable sensation for a time, but its fluid portion rapidly 
passes through the stomach and leaves the solids, which 
must linger to undergo digestion. This mass aggravates 
the stomach irritation and therefore the thirst is more 
intense than before the milk was taken. 

There is yet another fact that deserves emphasis, namely, 
that the digestive fluids of young puppies are often less 
active and potent than normal, and indigestion is the con- 
sequence. Pure, fresh water has a decided corrective 
influence upon these fluids and fortifies them to no incon- 
siderable extent, hence it is entitled to be called a remedy. 

Summarizing briefly : puppies should be taught to drink 
water at the earliest age possible, and thereafter a con- 
stant supply that is pure, fresh and inviting should be 
kept before them. It will modify somewhat the appetite, 
allay irritation in the stomach, render the digestive fluids 
more active if they are weak, and mechanically act advan- 
tageously by washing food remnants down and out of the 
stomach. All of which must greatly favor health and 
lessen the liability to disease. 




CHAPTER IX. 



WASHING AND GROOMING. 



The skin is something more than a mere covering for 
the body, and literally an organ which to some extent 
shares the work of the lungs and gives off carbonic acid 
gas and other waste matters ; moreover, it holds the sys- 
tem that modifies the bodily heat. Obviously, therefore, 
if in an unclean state and its so-called pores are choked 
with impurities it cannot perform its functions of elimi- 
nation, and these matters must make theii; way out by 
means of other avenues or be returned to the blood ; nor 
will it be easy to maintain the body at its proper temper- 
ature. 

The skin of a robust dog that has ample exercise is 
generally in a good, healthy condition and rarely requires 
washing, for he often induces free and profuse perspira- 
tion during his runs and so flushes the pores, while by oc- 
casional swims and rolls in the grass he manages to keep 
the surface and hair fairly clean. But with him that is 
chained most of the time or otherwise closely confined 
frequent washing is imperative, for the thin, fine scales 
that are exfoliated in abundance and the accumulations 

ii6 



WASHING AND GROOMING. 11/ 

of dust and dirt choke up his pores, and so dam up the 
effete matters as well as impair the activity of the myriads 
of little glands upon the integrity of which greatly de- 
pends the health of the skin and hair. 

It is scarcely necessary to urge that the effects of un- 
cieanliness are both local and general, or in other words 
its functions being interfered with not only is the skin 
itself and all it holds more or less unhealthy but the gen- 
eral health is invariably below the standard. Moreover, 
the scales and other accumulations excite itching, and the 
scratching in turn produces eczema and kindred eruptions. 
And when this cause — lack of cleanliness — is active and 
persistent the injurious effect upon the hair is very pro- 
nounced, it being dry, staring and lustreless. 

While washing is the most effective means of maintain- 
ing cleanliness its frequent application is decidedly ob- 
jectionable, especially if soaps of ordinary quality are used, 
for the hair and skin must become too dry in consequence 
of being obliged to part with much of the oily matter 
which keeps them supple and smooth ; hence it should be 
resorted to only when cleanliness can in no other way be 
secured or it is demanded as a remedial measure, as in 
cases of vermin and cutaneous diseases. 

Under ordinary circumstances frequent grooming will 
be quite sufficient to maintain cleanliness and health of 
the skin and hair, and he who expects to keep his dog in 
the "pink of condition " must faithfully apply it not less 
often than once a day. 

The brushes should be of bristles always, and what is 
called the "dandy brush" for short-coated dogs, while 
for the long-coated the bristles must be nearly if not 
quite an inch and a half in length, in order to pass through 
the coat and reach the skin. 

Instances in which a fine-tooth comb is required are very 



Il8 KENNEL SECRETS. 

rare indeed ; and this is fortunate, for except in the hands 
of a most careful person it is sure to irritate the skin as 
well as seriously endanger the coat. The comb of the 
kennel, therefore, should be of the coarsest kind — its 
teeth being widely set and very blunt at the ends. 

And mindful of the fact that parasitic diseases are 
quite common among dogs, also that they are frequently 
present for a long time before they are detected, the 
careful owner of two or more dogs will provide toilet ar- 
ticles for each. He will, moreover, clean them frequently 
by placing them for a few minutes in a shallow pan con- 
taining a disinfectant. 

The brush will meet all positive requirements, but there 
are certain accessories which must be resorted to if a fine 
coat is to be made " cherry ripe," and these are gloves of 
woollen yarn or hair — the latter for choice — and the 
bare hands. 

To first brush long and well, then rub diligently with 
the gloves, and finally with the bare hands, are the secrets 
of the toilet, and by faithfully applying the principles em- 
bodied in them cleanliness of the skin can be maintained, 
the hair stimulated to healthy growth and made to shine 
like satin if it is naturally fine. 

The brush and gloves should be applied the one 
way always, and with, not against, the hair, but in using 
the bare hands on dogs which ought to have a " bossy 
muscle," as bull-dogs, bull terriers and greyhounds, the 
thighs must be rubbed botJi ways — up as well as down — 
and afterward the ruffled hair be made right by brushing 
one way and hand rubbing one way. And lest the reader 
assume that the use of the bare hands is the least impor- 
tant of these measures the fact is urged that it is of the 
first importance in putting the coat of a fine-haired dog in 
prime condition, for by this means only can it be given 
the hisrhest finish and lustre. 



POINTERS. 




Mr. E. C. Norrishs Saddleback. 




Mr. J. E. L. LLOYD'S iLMA." 



WASHING AND GROOMING. II9 

In washing, as in other departments of management, 
knowledge, care and judgment must often be displayed, 
notwithstanding it may seem to the average reader that it 
is simple and easy always. Very likely it is all this with 
short-coated dogs, but with those whose coats are long, 
soft and silky, glistening and brilliant, it is an entirely 
different matter, and to wash all varieties in the same 
way would be to ruin the coats of many completely. 

For instance, the coat of a mastiff, bull terrier or pug 
could scarcely be injured in the tub, nor would these dogs 
be likely to take cold after a bath were a reasonable 
amount of intelligence and consideration exhibited with 
them, but the novice who undertook to wash a collie 
might make bad work of it, and certainly the chances 
would be all in favor of ruining not only the coat but the 
health of his subjects were they Maltese or Yorkshire 
terriers. 

Obviously no one line of procedure can be established 
which will extend to all cases, nor is there much in this 
fact to be deplored, for with a few simple general rules in 
sight, a knowledge of the methods to be employed with 
the common varieties, and a fair amount of common sense, 
one need never run into a very dense fog. 

The general rules are as follows : 

Never wash a dog within two or three hours after eat- 
ing heartily. The best time is about an hour before a 
feeding, for then if he is depressed by the bath his food 
will do much to bring on reaction and restore him. 

Use lukewarm water always, for with cold water it is 
scarcely possible to effect cleanliness. 

Let the washing be done as speedily as possible, and in 
a temperature of not less than 70° Fahr. And the opera- 
tion with very delicate toys will be less hazardous if the 
degree of heat is higher than this. 



120 KENNEL SECRETS. 

Lest the dog take cold after a bath dry him always, put 
him beyond draughts in summer if he is to be confined, 
and keep him several hours in a warm room or exercise 
him briskly if the weather is cold. 

In case he shivers or seems languid give him a gener- 
ous quantity of warm milk. 

The soap used should be invariably of good quality, not- 
withstanding the popular notion that any kind is good 
enough for a dog. Consequently the common yellow bar 
of the kitchen and cheap soaps intended for toilet pur- 
poses are forbidden, as they contain an excess of alkali, 
which not only has a tendency to irritate the skin but 
render the hair dry and brittle. And all low-cost and 
highly scented soaps should be regarded with suspi- 
cion, because without exception they are composed of 
the cheapest of ingredients, and usually of rancid fats, 
which the perfume is expected to disguise. 

Old Castile soap is very good, yet much that bears its 
name is spurious. The glycerine soaps are also generally 
reliable, and the same can be said of about all transpar- 
ent soaps, for they are not easily manufactured of base 
ingredients. But a formula for making a far better soap 
for kennel use than any of these will be found in the part 
devoted to " Exhibiting Dogs." 

When washing for cleanliness the use of soap will gen- 
erally be demanded, although where there is only one dog 
and he is a small one raw eggs could be employed instead, 
and these would soften the skin and leave the hair soft, 
smooth and glossy. But manifestly to wash a kennel of 
fairly large dogs with them would be an expensive matter, 
and, really, excepting in rare cases they have no superior- 
ity over the soap just alluded to. 

However, he who cares to try eggs should break up and 
lightly beat four in a pint of warm water, and shampoo 



WASHING AND GROOMING. 121 

with the mixture. But he must be sure to rinse long and 
well afterward, for eggs on drying harden down like 
mucilage. 

While soap can be applied to the coats of most dogs 
there are at least two exceptions, namely, the Maltese 
and Yorkshire terriers, and for the former raw eggs are 
the best, while to the latter soapsuds merely — not the 
soap itself — should be applied according to the directions 
which will also appear in " Exhibiting Dogs." 

A tub is not absolutely necessary when bathing out of 
doors, but it greatly favors convenience, and for large 
dogs a half hogshead with a hole in the bottom, stopped 
by a plug, does nicely, while a kitchen washing-tub or 
foot-pan answers every purpose with small breeds. 

When washing for cleanliness merely, commencing 
back of the ears — not with the head, as many advise, for 
that should be left until the last — the entire coat can be 
thoroughly soaped before any rinsing is done, but where 
carbolic or other soaps containing poisonous ingredients 
are to be used, the dog is of a large size and but one 
person is to be engaged in the operation, it is much safer 
to treat only one half the body at a time and rinse well 
before going further. 

An old tin dipper handy to the tub will frequently be 
of service in drenching the coat while soaping and in the 
first rinsing. The latter over, the water should be drawn 
off or thrown out, and the final rinsing can be done quite 
as conveniently with a garden sprinkling-pot as by any 
other means. 

During all these operations the soap and water must not 
be allowed to get into the ears, for were it to do so it 
would cause discomfort and not impossibly troublesome 
inflammation. But a reasonable amount of care exhibited 
with large dogs this accident is not likely to occur, yet 



122 KEIVXEL SKCA'E'J'S. 

^vith small iloi^s if is so easy it is always host to stop the 
ears with cotton. 

Except in yeiy Avarm weather the temperature of the 
water for the last rinsing- should as a rule be only a little 
lower than that uscil in washing, \'et much depends upon 
imlividual jieculiarities and customs, and although occa- 
sional]}' is encountered a vcvn hardy ami robust dog that 
takes kindly to cold water, to nu>st of his race, and espe- 
cially the members oi it that have the freedom of their 
masters" homes or are cpiartered in comfortable kennels, 
it is too much of a hardship. l-'urthermore, when not well 
borne it is siugulaih' liable to cause intestinal and i^thcr 
functional disttnbances ; and in all instances it is reall\- 
prejudicial to hue hair. 

Thorough riusing haying been administered, a large 
sponge shoidd be freely used and followed by a long and 
vigorous rubbing- w'ith clean towels. Tlien if the weather 
is verv mild the dog can be retmned to his kennel — which 
manifesth' should first be supplied with clean fresh bed- 
ding — or, better still, betaken out on chain and walked a 
mile or more. 

But in w'arm weather oi^lv woidd it be safe to return 
dogs to their kennels at once after bathing ; and during 
cold weather unless thev can be permitted to remain in 
comfortably heated rooms for several hours thev must be 
rubbed perfectlv drv, rio matter how h^ng a time is re- 
quired in the operation. And although \-ariotis measures 
for drying have been advised, as the use of "shorts" and 
tine sawdust, • — ^ the same being nd^bed through the hair 
and then brushed otu. — in no wa\- can it be more com- 
pletely and speedily effected than by the means of towels, 
provided enoug"h of them are used. 

After being thoroughly dried the dogs should be taken 
owl ai\d eucouraired to exercise vigorously for at least half 




MR. E. C. NORRISH 
Crediton, Eng. 



WASHING AND GROOMING. 1 23 

an hour to quicken circulation and thereby prevent a 
chill. 

But let no one try to dry a Yorkshire by rubbing with 
towels or like means, for the harm would be well-nigh 
irreparable. And in this instance the drying must all be 
done with brushes ; each one in turn being put before the 
fire as soon as it has become dampened, and used always 
from the centre — " the parting " — - downward on either 
side. 

When it has been necessary to wash a dog frequently 
and in consequence his hair has become unnaturally dry, 
a mixture of glycerine and water, one part to four, or 
cocoa-butter will be advisable. 

Or if the skin is very dry and inelastic and the hair 
staring and brittle, it may be well to drench the coat with 
cod-liver oil and allow it to remain on for several days, 
the dog, meanwhile, being swathed with cotton cloth or 
covered by a thin blanket, and kept in a warm place 
if the season is winter. 

But unless fats or oils are urgently demanded, as in a 
case like this, they should be used sparingly and merely 
on coats which are very long and might otherwise be 
matted and snarled. 

Discarding lard and animal fats, for the reason that they 
quickly become rancid, putrefy, and are liable to cause 
irritation of the skin, the vegetable oils should be chosen 
as a rule, although sometimes, as in "dressing" the coat 
of a German poodle, it will be allowable to use a little min- 
eral oil in a mixture with one or more vegetable oils. 
And in these instances kerosene, olive and castor oils, in 
equal parts, make a serviceable mixture. 

But with dogs generally olive or cotton-seed oil of pur- 
est and best quality only should be used, and barely suf- 
ficient to lubricate the outer hairs — a little of the oil 



124 KENNEL SECRETS. 

being poured into one hand, then the hands rubbed to- 
gether and the coat rubbed with them in the direction of 
the hair. 

That there may be no mistake in this matter it is again 
urged that except in cases where drenching with cod-Hver 
oil is indicated, or a dressing is required, as in corded 
coats, the quantity of oil used should be very small indeed, 
for any excess must clog the pores of the skin and prevent 
the free access of air to the hair roots. 

Baths without soap are less objectionable than those in 
which it is used, and an occasional dip or swim cannot do 
a sound dog any harm, provided the water is not very cold 
nor entered shortly after eating a hearty meal. Yet mod- 
eration in these indulgences should be the rule, for water 
alone too often applied impairs the integrity of fine hair. 
And it follows that the custom indulged by some breeders 
of dipping their dogs in tanks every morning during hot 
weather is a questionable one except with certain breeds 
of dogs which have a special fondness for water. 

Since no more favorable opportunity is likely to present 
itself some of the influences from within which bear upon 
the health of the hair may properly be considered here. 

As so few owners appear to recognize it, it is necessary 
to emphasize the fact that the quality and often the quan- 
tity of hair varies with the general health, tempera- 
ment and many accidental circumstances of the dog. In 
serious attacks of sickness persisting for several weeks it 
becomes dry and rough, with a tendency to break easily 
or fall out in consequence of being loosened at its 
roots. But while disease acts rapidly upon the hair and 
impairs its integrity, some functional disturbances merely, 
although slower in their effects in this direction, are yet 
quite as potent and baneful, and especially active are dis- 
orders of circulation and of the digestive and nervous 
systems. 



POINTERS. 




HEMPSTEAD FARM'S DUKE OF HESSEN. 




**^«?^j 
^ 



^- ^ ^ 



Hempstead Farm's Woolton Game.' 



WASHING AND GROOMING. 1 25 

The blood can never circulate as freely as it ought in a 
dog that is denied sufficient exercise, nor can the organs 
concerned in circulation long retain their strength and 
vigor under such denial. Manifestly, also, when they 
are unable to do the entire duty assigned them their fail- 
ure will be registered in every part of the animal econ- 
omy. The effects of faults in the digestive system are 
equally as wide-spread, and nutrition everywhere must 
suffer in degree corresponding largely to their intensity. 
And even farther reaching and more pronounced are the 
ill effects of disturbances of the nervous system — a fact 
that need not be urged, for all must have had at some time 
in their lives at least a disposition to fret and worry, 
which alone is sufficient to impair every important func- 
tion and make the victim spiritless, weak and ailing. 

Appreciating that the hair, like the fingers and toes, is 
literally a part of the living structure, and that it is vital- 
ized and nourished by the same common supplies, it is 
easy to believe that it shares in the hurtful influence de- 
scribed, and that if a dog is kept chained or confined to 
contracted quarters, is improperly fed, discontented and 
unhappy, or from other causes the tone of his general 
health is lowered, his hair must inevitably suffer with all 
other portions of his make-up. 

When the hair parts with its natural gloss and smooth- 
ness there is some cause for it, which must be found and 
removed before restoration will be possible. And beyond 
the faults in management already alluded to there is at 
least one other equally as common, and which has very 
nearly as potent an indirect influence on the growth and 
health of the hair, namely, that of denying dogs sufficient 
fresh, wholesome drinking water. In evidence of the in- 
jury induced thereby the writer records an instance that 
occurred some years since in his kennels. On this oc- 



126 KENNEL SECRETS. 

casion he noted that in all his clogs, some forty in num- 
ber, there was quite a sudden and great falling off in the 
appearance of the coat, the skin losing its elasticity and 
with the hair becoming dry and rough. During the in- 
vestigations that followed every possible cause was elim- 
inated except the drinking water, and after the help had 
been under surveillance for several days this was proved 
to be at fault. The kennels being at once piped and 
supplied with running water the inmates were soon back 
to their old form. 

The moral of all this is, that while cleanliness, groom- 
ing, etc., will keep in good condition the hair of a sound 
dog happily situated, except in the presence of good gen- 
eral health the hair can never be at its best, no matter 
how cleverly and faithfully it is treated. 

A word as to the so-called hair restorers. Including 
the domestic with all other agents reputed to have stimu- 
lant action upon the hair the number would be well-nigh 
countless, yet as a matter of fact there are but few that 
have any restorative action whatsoever. Many of them, it 
is true, have seemed to prove effectual in certain cases, but 
doubtless in the infinite majority of them the hair would 
have grown quite as quickly without any application. 

The hair is planted in the skin, but unlike vegetable 
growths the root is not its actual source and origin. A 
shrub pulled up by its roots cannot be reproduced on the 
same spot, and unless it is replanted there that spot will 
know it no more. Not so with the hair however, which 
although it has been plucked by the root will yet repro- 
duce itself, because its true source is not in its bulb or so- 
called root but in the outer or dermic layer of the follicle 
containing the root and in a small vascular papilla contin- 
uous with this layer, known as the matrix. The cells 
formed by this matrix are always being pushed up into 



WASHING AND GROOMING. 1 27 

the follicle and massed together so as to constitute the 
tissue of which the hair is spun. And obviously as long 
as the follicle and matrix remain normal the hair will be 
reproduced if it has fallen out, even root and all, but let 
them become disorganized so that they are no longer able 
to work, and " nothing under the sun " can restore hair 
in that spot. 

If in consequence of ill health the hair becomes dry and 
rough with a tendency to break off or fall out, beyond re- 
moving the cause all that is necessary is to keep it and 
the skin as clean as possible, softened occasionally with 
a little cocoa-butter or glycerine and water, and apply 
friction with the fingers and brush ; which means render 
the hair less brittle and conduce greatly to the restoration 
of vigor and tone in the hair-bulbs. 

Bald spots do not often appear on dogs except in conse- 
quence of parasitic diseases, which must, of course, be 
cured before the hair can grow again. Perhaps the most 
popular agent resorted to by fanciers to restore hair on 
such spots — the skin being unbroken — is petroleum, 
and it is doubtful if many of them know that its good 
effect is attributable, not to its restorative powers but to 
its destructive action on the parasites that induce the bald- 
ness. Considering which action, its use, or still better 
the use of its refined product benzine — because it pene- 
trates deeper — is to be commended on all bald spots of 
recent occurrence. 

If the hair has long been off and benzine has been used 
faithfully without appreciable effect it will be advisable to 
resort to the- tincture of cantharides or the sulphate of 
quinine, about the only serviceable medicinal agents that 
have any decided action as hair stimulants. The former 
being much the more powerful and a poison should be 
chosen only when the spot is so located that the dog can- 



128 KENNEL SECRETS. 

not reach it with his tongue. And it is best applied in 
the form of an ointment, which can be made up as fol- 
lows : Balsam of tolu and tincture of cantharides, of each 
two drachms ; petrolatum, one ounce. These ingredients 
should be thoroughly mixed and the ointment applied 
freely, twice daily. 

When quinine is used it should be in a solution com- 
posed as follows : Sulphate of quinine, one drachm ; dilute 
sulphuric acid, fifteen minims ; alcohol and glycerine, of 
each one ounce ; water, four ounces. This, also, should 
be applied twice daily. 

It is scarcely necessary to add that neither the petro- 
leum, benzine, cantharidal ointment nor quinine solution 
should be used where the skin is broken. 

There now remain to be considered two agents which 
should invariably be employed lavishly in all cases where 
the hair is not at its best, and these are pure air and sun- 
light — agents which stand above all others on the list of 
hair stimulants and nourishers. 





CHAPTER X. 

TROUBLESOME INSECTS. 

Although the skin and jacket of the clog would seem 
to afford conditions highly favorable for various kinds of 
free animal parasites there is really only one which has a 
very decided preference for him, and that is the PiUex 
canis or flea of the dog. A number of others are occa- 
sional visitors, yet as a rule they are easily destroyed or 
affronted and persuaded to leave. But this pest is an 
eminent exception, and of all questions that engage the 
minds of owners, how to overcome him is the most dis- 
turbing, for so great are his pertinacity, vitality and reac- 
tive powers, many poisons that are speedily fatal to other 
insects are to him merely sleep-producers that lay him up 
for an hour or two, when he is as lively and vigorous as 
ever ; while unfortunately most of the surely destructive 
agents, which throttle him as it were — oily and viscid 
liquids — are so highly objectionable that but few care to 
resort to them. 

It seems to be generally accepted that the Piilex iriHtans, 
the human flea, and the Piilex canis, the dog flea, are one 
and the same. Such is not the case however, for they 

129 



I30 KENNEL SECRETS. 

have very decided distinctive features, and wliilc the for- 
mer may infest the dog the latter never attaches himself 
permanently to man, although he may annoy him with 
occasional visits. 

There is yet another prevalent notion about fleas, 
namely, that all in sandy districts are the so-called Pulex 
penetrans or sand-flea. As a matter of fact the true sand- 
flea is peculiar to hot countries, and although it has been 
found in some parts of Africa it is common only in South 
America, where it is variously known as the chigger, 
chigoe, jigger, etc. Another sand-flea, of enormous size, 
is met with on the shores of the Mediterranean, but, 
as said, none of these species are ever found in northern 
latitudes except embedded in persons from the infested 
districts. 

The human flea and the dog flea, however, seek sand 
in which to lay their eggs and hatch out their young, and 
during the season in which this is going on it is almost 
impossible to keep them out of buildings that are located 
near sand-hills or on sand only recently deposited. But 
they naturally prefer that which is undisturbed, and al- 
though they may swarm in a load fresh from the hills, if 
spread out over a driveway or dog-yard and well rolled 
down it no longer as nicely serves their purpose, and they 
soon seek more favorable situations. 

These troublesome insects, rightly called flies without 
wings, suck blood like leeches, and not content to satisfy 
their appetites they treat their hosts to injections of a 
highly irritating fluid which soon assures them that they 
have been victimized. Another deplorable peculiarity of 
theirs is that they multiply with distressing rapidity, the 
female laying about twenty eggs in as many days, from 
which the larvae emerge in the course of a week and are 
then speedily matured ; but until full-grown the mother 




■ '-d-'fT^i '•'' 



MR. RAWDON B. LEE, 
London, Eng. 



TROUBLESOME INSECTS. 13 I 

supplies them with nourishment — sucking blood enough 
for herself and them. 

Fortunately for mankind, human fleas are not very 
abundant except on the seashore during the hottest part 
of the summer, where their presence is largely due to the 
bathers, who of course are their easiest victims, while at 
inland places the most of the bites can safely be laid at 
the doors of dog fleas. And wherever there is a dog this 
species is likely to have representatives, and a goodly num- 
ber always during the summer season. 

But there are measures which will do much in the way 
of prevention, and one is to bed down the dogs with pine 
shavings and place about in the same a goodly number 
of carbolic "disinfecting balls," which so many house- 
keepers employ to keep moths out of clothing. Another 
quite potent measure is the use of the oils of turpentine 
and kerosene, the same being freely sprinkled over the 
bedding and woodwork of the kennel. 

Still another means which is sometimes resorted to by 
breeders is the free use of air-slacked lime in the kennel 
yard, it being scattered about upon the ground during or 
after a rain-fall. And this is certainly a commendable 
custom, for the lime is destructive to the ova or eggs of 
insects and parasites ; yet it will not retain this effect in 
considerable degree if too long exposed to the air before it 
is used. 

But the most potent preventive measure is cleanliness. 
In fact owners and caretakers are responsible for fleas, 
and if a kennel is kept clean, whitewashed often, and the 
dogs are well groomed once a day and washed occasionally 
with the soft soap recommended in part devoted to " Ex- 
hibiting Dogs " these troublesome insects will but rarely 
intrude, and certainly not remain long when they do so. 

Of the various agents that have been recommended 



132 KENNEL SECRETS. 

for the destruction of fleas the Persian and Dalmatian 
insect powders appear to be the most popular. The first 
named, called also the Caucasian, consists of the flowers 
of Pyrethritvi carneuni and roscinn — natives of the Cau- 
casian mountains — while the other is a product of the 
Pyrethrimi ciueraricsfoliuni ; and of the two, this is the 
more powerful. 

These powders are often destructive, yet they are by 
no means positively so in all instances, and in the excep- 
tions they simply have a narcotic effect which lasts for a 
few hours only, when apparently complete recovery takes 
place. Nor can they be relied upon to keep dogs free 
from the pests, for they are soon shaken off with all their 
virtues, consequently they must be used daily and perhaps 
twice a day to do any lasting good. 

A bellows is the best means of application, or in its ab- 
sence a tin box with a perfoiated cover can be used. And 
in every instance the powder should be well worked into 
the hair and down to the skin, the subject under treat- 
ment meanwhile standing or lying on a paper, which, 
with what falls upon it, should be burned that all the fleas 
may with certainty be destroyed. 

But beyond being merely palliative these powders are 
objected to by many persons because of the irritation they 
excite in the air-passages of the users ; and as a matter 
of fact without being really poisonous to man they are 
yet capable of causing him discomfort and producing 
symptoms closely resembling those induced by a cold in 
the head, especially in persons inclined to chronic nasal 
catarrh. Consequently, as a frequent application they 
can scarcely be advised, at least in a dry form. But this 
objection is avoided when they are employed with alcohol 
and water ; moreover, the tinctures made from them are 
more powerful and lasting in their effects than the pow- 
ders themselves. 



TROUBLESOME INSECTS. 1 33 

It has been found that these powders owe their insect- 
destroying virtue to an acrid resin, deprived of which 
they are practically worthless. This resin can be ex- 
tracted by alcohol, and the method to be employed also 
the various formalities to be observed in converting the 
tincture into a destroyer are as follows : 

Obtain from a druggist one-half pound of Dalmatian 
insect powder and one and one-half ounces of the oil of 
eucalyptus. Pour them into a large bottle, add one quart 
of alcohol, cork tightly to prevent evaporation, and shake 
frequently during the next two or three days. Then ob- 
tain a funnel large enough to hold the contents of the 
bottle, also a three-gallon demijohn. Lightly pack the 
bottom of the funnel and its neck with absorbent cotton 
and insert it in the mouth of the jug. Shake the bottle 
and pour its entire contents into the funnel. The fluid 
portion, which is the tincture of the insect powder, will 
slowly filter through the cotton, and as it does so pour 
more water into the funnel until sufficient has been used 
to fill the demijohn. And each time water is added the 
muddy mass at the bottom of the funnel should be stirred, 
otherwise the filter will be choked. What remains in 
the funnel should finally be thrown away. 

The demijohn — which must be well stopped — now 
holds all the active and poisonous principles of the insect 
powder, also another powerful insecticide as well as an- 
tiseptic, the oil of eucalyptus. Without the latter the 
diluted tincture would have been destructive to nearly all 
small insects, but one can never be too sure when dealing 
with fleas, therefore the stronger the destroyer the better. 
And besides adding greatly to its power the oil has given 
it an odor that is quite agreeable to most people, thereby 
rendering it of special value for treatment of house pets. 
But possibly the most fastidious may object to this odor, 



134 KENNEL SECRETS. 

in which event they have but to choose some favorite per- 
fume oil, as rosemary, verbena, or the like, and after 
properly diluting it with alcohol add it to the mixture, 
which should be at once well shaken. 

This flea destroyer has the color of whiskey and stains 
very light coats — although the discoloration washes off 
readily after the hair has dried — consequently it would 
scarcely be advisable to apply it to a white dog that one 
desired to appear at his best. 

In using it pour a sufficient quantity into a hand basin 
and apply with a sponge or brush until all the hair down 
to the skin has been well moistened, and then allow it to 
dry on. As its effects are not nearly so fleeting as those 
of the insect powder its use is seldom demanded oftener 
than twice a week even in the most troublesome times, 
but it can safely be resorted to daily if there is occasion 
for it. And if this agent is sprinkled over the bedding of 
dogs and about their kennels, fewer direct applications to 
them will be required. 

Some breeders make an infusion of insect powder by 
steeping a pound of it in a pailful of boiling water, and 
this is then added to ten or twelve gallons of water and 
in the mixture the dogs are given a bath. But boiling 
water does not extract the virtues of the powder nearly so 
completely as alcohol, therefore in an infusion there is a 
loss ; and when so diluted it is extremely doubtful if it has 
other than a stupefying effect merely, from which the fleas 
recover in a very short time. 

The cost of the three gallons of the diluted tincture is 
less than one dollar, but notwithstanding this fact it will 
doubtless be held too expensive by many who keep a large 
number of dogs, consequently it is advisable to consider 
herein another and cheaper insecticide. 

Crude carbolic acid suggests itself, for it costs only 



TROUBLESOME INSECTS. 135 

thirty-five cents per pint, while half this quantity when 
added to water will, make a washing-tub full of safe and 
efificient flea-destroyer, and one that will keep indefinitely 
without losing its strength. But this must not be con- 
founded with the carbolic acid in common use, of which 
there are several kinds. First comes the pure in the form 
of white crystals, — so susceptible to moisture that they 
soon fuse into a hard mass : — then the carbolic acid 
usually found in drug shops, which is at least one remove 
from the first in the matter of purity, although the two 
outwardly so closely resemble one another the differences 
are scarcely appreciable. The next remove is a nearly 
colorless liquid which is generally employed where large 
quantities are needed to disinfect cesspools, sewers, etc. 
After this appears the crude acid, the kind herein recom- 
mended, a sirupy fluid of deep brownish color — nearly 
black — and really only about one-half carbolic acid, the 
most of the remaining ingredients being worthless sub- 
stances. 

When diluting crude carbolic acid it is advisable to use 
an alkali, and the common soap of the kitchen will an- 
swer every purpose. One pound of this soap having first 
been dissolved in about a gallon of hot water, half a pint 
of carbolic acid should be added and thoroughly mixed 
by vigorous stirring. Then the whole should be poured 
into a tub or barrel holding about fifteen gallons of 
water. 

The destroyer is now ready for use, and can be applied 
with a sponge, or dogs can be dipped in it — in which 
case care must be taken to prevent the solution from get- 
ting into the mouth, nostrils or eyes. 

The duration of the bath should not be over half a min- 
ute, and after being permitted to run about for five min- 
utes the dogs should be dipped in a tubful of clean water, 



136 KENNEL SECRETS. 

or rinsed off by means of a garden sprinkler, and then 
allowed to dry themselves in their own way. 

Strong, hardy dogs would scarcely need rinsing, but 
still it is a wise procedure, for some forms of the crude 
preparations contain more carbolic acid than others and 
poisonous absorption might possibly take place ; moreover, 
the solution if often applied and allowed to dry on would 
likely make the hair dry and brash. 

This crude carbolic solution is not only destructive to 
fleas and other troublesome insects but both preventive 
and curative of the most common form of mange and 
many other parasitic diseases, hence its use about twice 
a week in summer is likely to prove highly beneficial in a 
variety of ways. But for obvious reasons it is available 
only in warm weather or where kennels are comfortably 
heated in winter. And since very nearly all such agents 
are more or less prejudicial to the coat it should be used 
sparingly if at all on dogs being made ready for shows. 

What is generally accepted as the pure carbolic acid is 
sometimes used in a stronger preparation composed as 
follows : 

Carbolic acid, one-half an ounce ; glycerine, one-half an 
ounce ; laudanum, one ounce ; bicarbonate of potassa, one 
drachm ; water, one and one-half pints. In using, pour 
a little into a hand basin, and with a small sponge rub it 
through the coat to the skin. 

The writer has never tried this preparation, but Mr. J. 
Otis Fellows, one of the most experienced breeders within 
his acquaintance, cordially recommends it for use espe- 
cially on house pets, because of its cleanly nature as well 
as efficiency. 

Quassia is another potent flea destroyer, which notwith- 
standing that it possesses the peculiarity of being poison- 
ous to many of the lower animals, including dogs, is never 



TROUBLESOME INSECTS. 1 37 

likely to do harm unless used much too freely. The mf usion, 
the preparation for the purpose, is made as follows : Put 
four ounces of the chips into a demijohn containing a gallon 
of hot water ; stop the same with a cork — only gently in- 
serted — and place it on the back of the stove where it 
will keep warm. In the course of two or three hours the 
virtues of the chips will all have been extracted, when 
sufficient of the liquor should be poured into a tub, in 
which, after the infusion has cooled, the infested dog 
should be stood and thoroughly drenched. 

There are many kinds of soap on the market for which 
the claim is made that they are destroyers of fleas. The 
writer has given a very large number of them fair trials 
yet found but few which acted as reputed ; and the strong- 
est form of carbolic soap was the most notable exception. 

Some carbolic soaps are intended for toilet purposes 
merely and contain such small quantities of the essential 
agent that they are but little if any better than common 
unmedicated soaps, but the strongest kind is destructive 
to fleas as well as of real value in the treatment of par- 
asitic affections. And although there is a prejudice 
against it because of its great strength it is perfectly 
safe for use on mature dogs, provided it is applied quickly 
and a free rinsing follows without delay. 

To afford relief from flies, which in hot weather cause 
nearly as much annoyance as fleas, tar soap is recom- 
mended, for the reason that the odor of tar is highly ob- 
jectionable to them, and this can be used freely in wash- 
ing dogs or they can be dipped in a strong suds ; and in 
neither case will it be necessary to rinse them, as there 
is nothing poisonous about the active agent. 

Mature dogs are seldom infested with lice, but puppies 
are frequent victims, and their favorite habitat is the back 
of the neck and around the ears, where they appear as 



138 KENNEL SECRETS. 

very small steel-gray specks. An emulsion made of ker- 
osene oil two parts and fresh skimmed milk one part 
readily destroys these insects, and without causing any 
irritation of the skin. 

This is easily prepared as follows : Heat the milk, and 
while yet hot put it into a bottle considerably larger than 
required by the mixture ; add twice as much oil as milk, 
and shake the whole vigorously for several minutes ; by 
which means the ingredients will be quite thoroughly 
mixed. 

As soon as it has cooled sufficiently apply the mixture 
with a sponge or stiff brush, such as painters use, and rub 
with considerable force that the skin may be well bathed. 
On the day following such application it will be advisable 
to use a fine-tooth comb on the parts treated, and if any 
of the pests are then found alive a second drenching with 
the oily mixture will be indicated. 

Another highly efficacious remedy for lice is the com- 
mon commercial benzine, which, by the way, is of great 
merit not only as an insecticide but as a parasiticide, not- 
withstanding the strange fact that it is but rarely used on 
man or animals. 

It costs but a mere trifle, does not irritate the skin, is 
perfectly safe for external use, and will not injure or stain 
the finest fabrics ; moreover, there are but few medicinal 
agents that "strike in" so deeply as this, hence its spe- 
cial value in diseases of hair follicles, all of which involve 
the minute pores of the skin. 

The removal of wood-ticks, with which dogs are occa- 
sionally troubled, practically requires the same treatment 
as lice. But should this fail the solution of crude car- 
bolic acid and water recommended for the destruction of 
fleas can be used. 

In closing, it is urged that in every instance where the 



'I$x- 




TROUBLESOME INSECTS. 



139 



kennel of a dog becomes infested with any of the trouble- 
some insects or he acquires an obstinate skin disease — 
and especially if the same is attended with itching — the 
bedding be at once destroyed, the kennel thoroughly 
cleaned, fumigated with sulphur and faithfully white- 
washed in every part, crack and crevdce. 




PART II 



EXHIBITING 




CHAPTER I. 



PREPARATORY WORK. 



The truth of the familiar and crude apothegm "It costs 
no more to keep a good dog than a poor one " has evi- 
dently found wide acceptance, for mongrels are rapidly 
disappearing and their places are being filled by pure 
breeds. With this salutary change, and a natural con- 
sequence of it, the interest in competitive exhibitions 
has been steadily growing, until now they are held yearly 
in goodly number; and so great is the pleasure they afford 
and their value as furnishing abundant material for criti- 
cal study of the dog in improved state they may confi- 
dently be expected to multiply and eventually become as 
fixed and popular institutions as the " cattle shows " of 
olden times. 

So rendering the signs the writer feels that his work 
would be far from complete were he to omit a discussion 
of dog shows and the special treatment required by com- 
petitors. 

But before fairly dipping into the subject he would disa- 
buse the reader who is possessed of the prevalent belief 
that dog shows in themselves are inimical to all com- 

143 



144 KENNEL SECRETS. 

petitors and of all ages, and that the dangers threatened 
are beyond prevention. 

This notion owes its greatest force to its antiquity, and 
like the cobwebs that obscure so many healthful truths 
has stoutly resisted the broom of intelligence and experi- 
ence. There are many diseases peculiar to the human 
family that find their most favorable conditions where 
children congregate, nevertheless schools exist and must 
continue to do so until the end of time. Churches might 
without impropriety be called "head centres" of disease, 
for in them, also, the conditions are quite favorable for its 
wide dissemination, yet the non-going never rely upon 
this fact for an excuse. 

And so with dog shows. Were a dog suffering from a 
highly infectious disease admitted to one of them he could 
scarcely fail to infect some of his competitors. But dogs 
are not subject to nearly as many diseases of this class as 
mankind ; moreover, at the present time so much is known 
as to causation, the mediums of conveyance and methods 
of prevention, it is possible to hedge around these shows 
safeguards quite as efificient as those which man employs 
against his own peculiar infectious diseases. 

Children in schools and people in church are in some 
danger — slight though it be in many instances — of diph- 
theria, scarlet fever, measles, whooping-cough, itch, ring- 
worm, and a number of other diseases of like character, 
whereas scarcely more than two such diseases threaten 
dogs at shows ; and these are distemper and sarcoptic 
mange. That the former has found many victims at 
these gatherings is a deplorable fact which no attempt 
will be made to disguise, but there was a time when 
small-pox yearly destroyed thousands upon thousands of 
the human family, yet in these days, in civilized countries, 
death from it is of extremely rare occurrence ; and if the 




MR. JOHN DAVIDSON 
MuNROE, Mich. 



PREPARATORY WORK. 1 45 

well-knowTi means of prevention is universall}' employed 
this once terrible scourge miist in time be stamped out of 
existence. 

No other dis^ise has declined with a rapidit}- approach- 
ing this, but all of the same character whose true nature 
and inner workings have been uncovered have taken a 
downward course — thanks to the means of prevention 
that are becoming better and better understood every 
year. Distemper is no eminent illustration of this, stiil it 
is not a notable exception, and evidence is not wanting 
that at shows, at l^^st, it far less often intrudes than it did 
even five 3'ears ago. 

The idea is popular that all must h.ave scarlet fever or 
measles some time in life, and not a few parents who 
cleave to it deliberately expose their little ones to vic- 
tims of these diseases that they may be off the anxious 
sear at once, A similar notion about distemper exists 
among dog owners, and this, with its kindred shadow from 
the musty past, scarcely more opprobrious, should have 
long since been dispelled. 

As a matter of fact no age is exempt from scarlet fever 
or measles, and the same is true of distemper, but all 
these diseases have a very decided preference for 3'oung 
subjectSu and the danger of " taking "" them lessens gradu- 
ally as maturit}' approaches, and very rapidlv" after that 
period- In other words, a yuppy — especiall}' If not 
strong and hardy — is always an eas}^ victim to distem- 
per, whereas an old dog stoutly resists infection- 
Full}- alive to this fact some breeders keep their pup- 
pies, of all ages, awa}' from shows ; and this is an admira- 
ble rule, but the need to enforce it is much less than 
it was a few 3-ears ago, for at the present time a fixed 
requirement at all shows held by clubs comprising the 
American Kennel Qub is, that fv^ry competitor shall l>e 



146 KENNEL SECRETS. 

examined by a duly qualified veterinary before he is 
benched... And when this is strictly complied with a 
dog suffering from distemper is not at all likely to gain 
admission, whereas once dogs in its early stages were 
frequent sights at these exhibitions. 

Another important action of this club is, that no puppy 
under six months of age can be accepted for compe- 
tition. The highly salutary provision is also made by 
nearly all managements that older puppies may be 
removed from shows at the expiration of the second 
day. Again, reputable breeders, fully alive to the dan- 
gers of distemper infection, have quarters especially 
arranged for the sick, in which they at once place and 
isolate all victims of distemper, and in this way preclude 
the possibility of their show dogs being carriers of con- 
tagion. More than this, there are now generally em- 
ployed in shows methods that are to a considerable 
degree obstructive to infection ; and these appear in 
the painstaking efforts to maintain cleanliness and in the 
lavish use" of chemicals. 

All these precautions have greatly lessened the danger 
of distemper infection at shows ; and their influence 
must be wide-spread, for beyond the dogs that congregate 
at these places the rate of mortality from this disease 
plainly appears to be falling every year. 

As for sarcoptic mange, the other disease which dogs 
are liable to contract at shows, the danger from it is now 
very slight since every dog must be carefully examined 
on entrance ; and what remains can be wholly obviated 
by the caretakers. But were it to escape detection and 
a dog afflicted with it to be admitted, even then the dan- 
ger to others would not exist provided they were not 
allowed to come in actual contact or enter his stall, and 
the rules to be given later on for the benefit of exhibitors 
were carefully observed. 




^'■.■{.■'•iv# 



PREPARATORY WORK. 1 47 

Of course there are yet other diseases that might be 
acquired at shows but the liability to them is so small it 
ought not to deter any one from exhibiting his dog if 
desirous of doing so ; and the two singled out — distem- 
per and sarcoptic mange — have been discussed at consid- 
erable length that the reader may know the pure and 
simple truth and be able to judge understandingly of the 
extent of the danger threatened at such exhibitions. 
That it is generally greatly over-estimated is a very unfor- 
tunate fact, for every dog that seems good enough to win 
honors should be allowed to try ; moreover, upon the num- 
ber of entries depends much the public interest, and the 
greater the latter the more profitable breeding. 

The writer will endeavor to influence favorably this 
train of conditions with a few practical hints, and he 
urges that if they are carefully observed, mature dogs 
while at shows will scarcely be in greater danger of infec- 
tious diseases than when at home in their kennels. 

The average exhibitor having decided to enter his dog 
at once sets about putting him into "condition" to appear 
at his best. There are two ways of doing this, and they 
may be said to point due east and due west, for they are 
distinctly opposite — one being right and the other wrong. 
Unfortunately the latter is by far the more popular, and it 
consists of drugging and gorging. Yet as far as form 
goes, the' only legitimate way to put a dog right is to rely 
upon hygienic and dietetic means. And when there has 
been a considerable falling off, very generally three or four 
months is required to do this work well, while with most 
dogs that are in fairly good condition six weeks is none 
too long a time for it. 

Where the candidate for honors is badly "off," being 
under weight, out of coat, and with muscles soft and 
fiabbv from disuse, it is well to start in with a dose of 



148 KENNEL SECRETS. 

worm-medicine. And this having acted he should be 
entered upon a course of training by exercise, which 
should be systematic and conducted if possible under as 
rigid dietetic and hygienic rules as those enforced with 
athletes. 

Steady, slow work should be the rule at first in all 
instances, and this should be persisted in with the largest 
non-sporting breeds — the walks gradually extended each 
day until fairly long distances are being covered — while 
with most of the other varieties it must be intelligently 
quickened as they gain in strength and endurance. 

In hot weather this exercise should invariably be in the 
early morning — never under a roasting sun, for then it 
must depress instead of invigorate, and besides invites 
heatstroke, to which dogs are quite as liable as man. 

The amount of exercise required of course depends 
upon the existing conditions — the state of health and 
endurance, individual peculiarities, etc. But it is safe 
to say that where the dog is being worked on the chain 
and has been in training for two or three weeks, if 
other than a toy he will be able to make as many miles 
as his trainer will find it convenient to cover on foot. 
Should, however, the fear intrude that too much exercise 
is being given it will be necessary merely to resort to the 
scales, and as long as there is a gain in weight the amount 
of work certainly cannot be excessive. 

Always after an outing the dog's feet should be exam- 
ined to see if he has taken up small stones or cut himself 
with bits of glass. And if he gets wet or his legs and 
under-parts have been splashed with mud he should be 
carefully sponged and well dried before he is put into 
his kennel. 

Dog-s that are not accustomed to much exercise are 
liable to stiffen during the first days, especially if it is 




DR. N. ROWE, 

Chicago, III. 



PREPARATORY WORK. 1 49 

carried too far, but they soon limber up and rarely is 
treatment required ; should it seem necessary however, 
bathing the affected parts with hot water will speedily 
effect a cure. 

As for terriers that have a yard or run to their kennels, 
they do not require nearly so much work as the large 
breeds, for they are nervous and restless, and, being always 
on the move, exercise themselves. 

The city resident of many cares and but few leisure 
moments will find routine exercise well-nigh impossible 
and he will naturally ask if there is not some means of 
working his dog without long walks and going away from 
home. There is retrieving the ball ; if his dog has been 
taught it he might be worked in that way half an hour or 
more in the morning and the same length of time at 
night, after he had been given slow walking exercise for a 
week or ten days. 

There is also the exercising machine or so-called "dog 
power" which might be used advantageously, but one 
trouble with that is, the dog is apt to work too fast 
or too long unless very nice judgment is used. Nor 
can it approach nearly in value the exercise yielded by 
walks and scampers, for there are lacking the pure air and 
diversion which are by no means unimportant considera- 
tions. However, the "dog power" can be made useful, 
but intelligence and care will be required. 

Sporting dogs that have much fallen off in form can 
scarcely be made right without a little fast work, and 
unless they can be taken into the field occasionally, which 
is always best, a good place for them is behind a horse ; 
and their runs, at moderate pace, may extend to from ten 
to thirty miles a day, provided, of course, they have been 
brought up to them by easy stages. 

But hard runs are not advisable, as many seem to think, 



I50 KENNEL SECRETS. 

for all dogs that are built for speed, and nearly all of the 
exercise for greyhounds, for instance, should be given on 
the chain. Really it is much harder work for a dog to 
walk to heel — ^ on chain — than go his own gait, yet there 
is no danger of draining as it were the muscles as there 
might be in hard runs. Beyond this there is still another 
argument of no little importance in favor of chain work, 
namely, the freedom from danger of fights, picking up 
unwholesome food, spurts after cats, — • which means the 
loss of an eye, perhaps, — etc. 

Dogs when kept in training for a great time if given 
excessive work, and especially fast work, are liable to 
become "stale" and lack "fire" at the critical time; yet 
without hard work the fire is merely a flash, — it cannot 
be depended upon to last through a series of long and 
punishing courses. Nice judgment is therefore required 
lest by overwork a dog be overdone and he become 
"stale," or that owing to incomplete training and a lack 
of sufficient work his wind be not in the best possible 
condition. 

But this, like many other difficulties which confront 
the practical courser, need not trouble the conditioner of 
show dogs. They will be able to stand more chain work 
than he is likely to give them. And he knows that those 
important factors of success in the field — stamina and 
good wind — cannot be tested in the judge's ring, there- 
fore his efforts will be directed to having his dogs hard in 
flesh, large and prominent in muscle and as good as pos- 
sible in coat. He will also bear in mind that road work 
hardens the pads ; and as good feet in this breed count 
for much before a capable judge he will see to it that 
nearly all the exercise is taken on hard ground. 

The dogs may be permitted to extend themselves for 
short distances every day. This will do good, for it will 



PREPARATORY WORK. 15 1 

bring into pla}- muscles which should pot be permitted to 
be idle. Coursing the hare, however, is not allowable as a 
means of either training or conditioning for shows. And 
a dog in a laalf-trained condition if slipped on a good, 
strong hare would likely be injured rather than benefited 
in condition, and his courage might meet a severe shock. 
But a dog that is " fit " might be given a hare once in a 
while, yet only very seldom, for with frequent coursing 
most dogs become " cunning," and when asked to do their 
best in competition will not respond. 

Greyhounds, like other dogs, van' considerably in mus- 
cular development and firmness of flesh. Some are as 
hard by nature and without training or conditioning as 
others which have undergone a most thorough prepara- 
tion ; and the rule for this breed is a good, stimulating 
and solid diet, with plenty of work that they may be able 
to carry their food without the blood getting into a bad 
condition. 

Feed at, say, six p.m. Brush and hand rub for an hour 
or more daily. Give ample kennel room ; let the same be 
thoroughly dry, well ventilated and free from draughts, 
and these dogs should show up hard in flesh, fine in coat, 
prominent in muscle, bright in eye and high in spirits. 

Deerhounds also do well on slow work, and a walk or 
an easy jog behind a team for ten or fifteen miles ever)'' 
day for six weeks will develop muscle and health more 
efficiently than faster work, and without the danger which 
attends it where the subject is or has been recently out 
of condition. They may be made right for the show 
bench in the same way as greyhounds, but as their coats 
ought to be hard the hand rubbing must be dispensed 
with except as a means of developing the thighs ; and 
brushing sufficient to keep their coats and skins clean is 
all that is necessar)'. 



<vj' 



152 KENNEL SECRETS. 

Obviously the matter of exercising is one that requires 
knowledge, judgment and care. It will certainly be neces- 
sary to understand the natures of dogs thoroughly, the 
peculiar work for which they were constructed, their 
limits of endurance, etc., and to study them intelligently, 
for the purpose of determining where they are weak 
and need development. Then, and then only, in many 
instances can exercise be judiciously applied. 

It is well to advert here to the belief which is widely 
entertained that dogs can be conditioned quite as well by 
medicine as by hygienic methods ; and that the utter 
absurdity of this view may appear at once the physiologi- 
cal effects of the drugs commonly used will be briefly 
considered. 

Arsenic, the most popular agent for this purpose, is 
both a tonic and a deadly poison, and while in nicely 
adjusted doses and in selected subjects that abso- 
lutely require such a tonic, and whose peculiarities of 
organism are perfectly understood, it might do no 
harm, and might possibly do good, still it is singu- 
larly prone in every instance to impair the vital- 
ity. But only men who are skilled in the use of drugs 
and have an intimate knowledge of anatomy and physi- 
ology can locate the danger line, and even they must 
sometimes pass over it because of failure to recognize 
idiosyncrasies. And if such men are liable to fail surely 
the average layman is not at all likely to succeed. 

But even when administered understandingly it is far 
from being suitable for conditioning dogs, for although 
they seem to fatten after taking it for several weeks the 
rounding out is not occasioned by a healthy deposit of fat, 
but is largely due to puffiness of certain tissues, or what 
is commonly called bloating. This seeming improvement 
can be kept up for a long time if the doses of the poison are 



PREPARATORY WORK. 153 

steadily increased", provided always the dog is much at 
rest. But submit him to a railway journey and the dis- 
turbing influence of a show, and he will shrink rapidly 
from the first day — -his spurious fat melting as it were — 
and ere he is home again he will not only be back to his 
old form but thinner than when the use of the drug 
was commenced. 

Iron is another agent often used in preparing for 
shows. And as it is one of the first that the average 
layman resorts to when he feels he needs a spur it is not 
surprising that he assumes it to be suitable for his dog. 
But the value of iron as a general tonic is very greatly 
over-estimated ; and given indiscriminately, as it often is, 
the proportion of harmful and good results is not less 
than ten to one ; while many morbid conditions of the 
system in which it was once supposed to be of high 
remedial value are now known to yield much more 
quickly and easily to other drugs. Again, there are an 
immense number of preparations of iron, the most of 
which have their special purposes and act well in certain 
classes of cases, whereas if used in others they are quite 
sure to do harm. 

This runs counter to the popular belief that if iron fails 
to do good it can do no harm, but that is without founda- 
tion, for when wrongly used the digestive organs are 
made to suffer and other functions are more or less dis- 
turbed. Considering all of which, iron should be kept 
on the shelf with arsenic while one is conditioning his 
dog. 

Yet another drug often resorted to when preparing 
dogs for shows is quinine, which is supposed to have 
special action on the appetite. This, also, has its place 
among remedial agents, but as an appetizer it is of doubt- 
ful value except in occasional cases ; and as a matter of 



154 



KENNEL SECRETS. 



fact a medicinal appetizer of any sort is rarely needed, 
for whenever the desire for food abates there is a cause 
which should be removed, and that gone the appetite will 
return without the aid of drugs. 

What has been said of arsenic, iron and quinine in the 
main holds good with other tonics, individually and col- 
lectively, singly and combined, as "conditioners," for only 
dogs that are sick actually require them, and no sick dog 
nor one convalescing should be sent to a show. 

The moral of all this is, that where form is lacking the 
only proper course to take to overcome the fault is to 
resort to hygienic and dietetic means, and he who is 
denied the opportunities to apply them when they are 
needed should keep his dog at home. 




Jk 




CHAPTER 11. 



THE FEEDING. 



Under properly regulated exercise a dog fairly healthy 
in the beginning will have gained at every point before 
the fourth week, his muscles having noticeably filled and 
hardened, his step become more elastic, his eye bright 
and clear, his skin cleaner and softer, and his hair finer 
and richer in hue. Moreover his appetite will have grown 
better, and his digestive organs having shared in the gen- 
eral improvement a far greater proportion of his food will 
now be assimilated and devoted to flesh-building. 

Consequently he will require more food, and it may be 
advisable to increase the number of his meals daily. But 
if fed twice daily, which is often enough for most dogs, 
the morning feed should be not more than one-third the 
quantity given later. Increase in quantity and frequency 
would of course have been hazardous under the old regime, 
but now that he is taking a great deal of exercise both 
will be perfectly safe, provided care and judgment are 
used, and it will also be safe and expedient to give him 
more concentrated and nutritious foods. 

In making up the diet table for him new milk at once 

155 



156 KENNEL SECRETS. 

suggests itself as the principal food for breakfasts because 
it works like a charm on the skin and coat. But for a dog 
that is much out of condition this would scarcely be 
nutritious enough, therefore it is advisable to fortify it ; 
and he who is familiar with the different foods at com- 
mand and their relative values would at once hit upon 
eggs, for being largely composed of fatty matter they 
greatly favor nutrition, tissue-building and force-produc- 
tion ; furthermore, they also have an admirable action on 
the skin and coat. 

New milk in generous quantities and from one to four 
raw eggs — according to the size of the dog — lightly 
beaten up in it should therefore constitute the first meal 
of the day. 

If a meal at noonday is necessary, as it generally is 
when the condition is very low and the date of the show 
rapidly approaching, the food given at this meal must be 
such that it cannot possibly disorder digestion. Here, 
again, raw eggs recommend themselves, for of all highly 
nutritious foods they are the most easily digested and 
least likely to cloy and impair the appetite for the evening 
meal. Consequently, unless it so happens that they cause 
" bilious symptoms," which is but rarely the case where 
the eggs are fresh, about the same number given in the 
morning should again be given at noon, and in milk as 
before ; but the quantity of the latter should be compara- 
tively small and only sufficient for the purpose of thinning 
down and disguising the eggs, which should have " a pinch" 
of salt to push them as it were even more rapidly through 
the stomach. 

Now for the supper, the heartiest meal of the day. 
If the dog has very decided preferences in the way of foods, 
and those he likes best are perfectly suitable, he can of 
course be properly allowed them, but exercising freely as 





REV. A. L. WILLETT, 
Coventry, Eng. 



THE FEEDING. 157 

he is more than likely he will be ready to eat whatever is 
set before him. His food must be concentrated ; in other 
words he should have a good solid feed, and it should be 
varied and consist of an admixture of several articles. ■ 

As for instance, if there are not table scraps in ample 
quantity and eminently suitable in quality for him, one 
supper should consist principally of stale white bread and 
beef, the next of mutton and boiled rice, the next of beef 
and Graham bread, and so on, with boiled sheep and beast 
heads and corn meal or oatmeal for change. Many, by 
the way, object to corn meal, but very likely one pro- 
nounced reason is that they have used it day after day and 
week after week. But if given once or twice a week it 
can do no harm unless it is old and rancid. 

With each meal there should be one vegetable at least, 
and herein, also, should be variety — one night boiled tur- 
nips, another beets, then cabbages, carrots, potatoes or 
some of the various greens. And accepting without 
qualification the fact that the bowels should be regulated 
in the feeding-pan, not by drugging, these greens, oat- 
meal and Graham bread should be mainly relied upon when 
the bowels are confined, while boiled flour would be the 
proper remedy were they relaxed. 

In preparing the supper the bread, crackers, rice or 
other starchy foods should be just softened with a good 
rich broth. The beef or mutton should then be chopped 
quite fine, and the vegetables mashed if they are turnips, 
carrots, beets or potatoes, or minced if they are cabbages 
or greens. And after the ingredients have been treated 
in these ways they should be all so well mixed that the dog 
cannot pick out the meat if disposed to do so. 

A word here as to forced or spoon feeding. It is only 
in extremely rare instances that it is necessary except in 
sickness, and certainly it should not be resorted to unless 



158 KENNEL SECRETS. 

absolutely necessary. But it is a fact that one at least of 
the most noted winners of the past could not be built up 
to weight without the use of the spoon. And should the 
reader be so unfortunate as to encounter another such he 
would be perfectly justified in forcing food into him, using 
raw eggs, highly concentrated beef broths and beef ex- 
tracts for the purpose. 

While the dietary recommended is the one which can 
wisely be employed with the most common varieties of 
dogs there are some for which modifications will be re- 
quired. To greyhounds, for instance, but little soft food 
should be given, nor should they be allowed vegetables in 
considerable quantities ; in fact they should have no 
more than demanded to keep their bowels free and active. 
Their mainstays should be boiled beef and mutton, — the 
latter for choice, — ■ and with these, in the absence of suita- 
ble table scraps, should be mixed a little white or Graham 
bread that has been toasted or baked until nearly as brown 
and crisp as rusks, or occasionally a little hard and brown 
corncake will be allowable, and to these ingredients can 
be added what vegetables are required ; while once or 
twice a week it will be a good plan to feed on raw meat, 
chopped fine, with a raw egg over it. 

On this diet they will become hard and firm without 
the desposition of fat ; or if too fat they will grow thinner 
under it. 

Before going further the fact deserves emphasis that 
there should be a fixed hour for feeding dogs, and they 
should always have their meals on time, for they fret when 
kept waiting, and some even positively refuse to eat if 
their dinner is an hour late, while others go to bed and 
eat reluctantly when called ; whereas at the proper time 
they are at the kennel door barking and plainly asking to 
be fed. 



THE FEEDING. 159 

Some dogs are liable to become over weight and go be- 
yond their classes when they are being put in condition if 
they are not carefully watched, while on the other hand 
some require to be pulled down a bit. If they are of the 
fairly hardy variety, as a rule far better more exercise 
than dietetic restrictions, but if they are delicate toys, 
and especially Yorkshires, the remedy lies in the feeding- 
pan. 

But before considering the special requirements of over- 
weight dogs something can properly be said of the feeding 
of Yorkshires in general and other toys which do not ex- 
hibit this fault. 

In dealing with Yorkshires one must consider above all 
the condition of blood and skin and growth of the hair. 

Now in discussing food and feeding many writers have 
theorized that rice being fat-producing is not suitable for 
this breed and should not be given, or if given the quan- 
tity should be very small indeed. But theories and re- 
sults of practice are sometimes at variance, and so it proves 
in this instance, for it is a fixed and absolute fact that the 
staple food for toys and especially Yorkshires is rice. 
And one reason for its special suitability lies in the very 
argument which these theorists use for condemning it, 
namely, that it is fat-producing. Besides this effect, how- 
ever, it is cooling, good for the skin and, as a result, for 
the coat. 

There are many physicians who believe that the food 
has a decided influence on the growth of the hair and that 
the starches are the most active of all. Not impossibly 
this theory is correct, and certainly experience with dogs 
would seem to substantiate it, for with him who is ad- 
mitted to be the best " hair grower " of the dog world rice 
is the food of all relied upon. 

But while the question, Will foOd promote growth of the 



l6o KENNEL SECRETS. 

hair ? is still open, there is no disputing" the fact that rice 
favors its health, and by acting on the skin and blood it 
decidedly lessens its tendency to break and fall out. 

Rice may therefore be accepted as the staple food for 
toys and especially Yorkshires. And the proper way to 
prepare it is to set it in the oven, in a jar, and allow it to 
cook for at least two hours ; or if the oven is not too hot 
it may remain there all night. 

The first meal for Yorkshires — and what will do for 
them will do for all the small varieties which have but 
little out-door exercise — must be of new milk, and the 
quantity about half a pint. This should be given early — 
say at seven. About three hours later boiled barley and 
nice fresh tripe that has been boiled in milk may be given. 
The tripe, by the way, must be chopped fine and mixed 
with the barley, and to this may be added a little of the 
milk that the tripe has been boiled in. 

The milk used in feeding may be warm from the cow, 
or if cold it should be slightly heated. Ice-cold food will 
not do for toys, nor must they be given hot food. In a 
word, they like it better with the chill off and do better 
with it so. 

Having had food at seven and ten, at about three o'clock 
a small quantity of new milk may be given. 

At supper time they should have a feed consisting of 
three parts rice, one part beef or mutton, chopped fine and 
mixed with the rice — a little gravy or broth being poured 
over it — and a small quantity of vegetables, which should 
also be thoroughly mixed with the other ingredients. 

A drink of lukewarm milk at bed-time, especially in 
cold weather, can do no harm. 

The next day they should be given early, as usual, a 
small quantity of new milk ; and at ten a change can be 
made to milk biscuits that have been steeped in milk 



THE FEEDING. l6l 

or broth. This time the supper may consist of mashed 
potatoes and scraps from the table, but there must not 
be any fat ; while the other feedings should be much the 
same as on the previous day. 

Rice should be given three or four times a week mixed 
in various ways, and barley once or twice. 

The rule is, feed oftener than with large dogs, but feed 
lightly and give small quantities of new milk not less than 
three times a day. 

As in the case of all young puppies, " little and often " 
must be the feeder's motto. Toy dogs are not unlike chil- 
dren — -their stomachs must not belong empty and the 
food must be bland and unstimulating. Rice, milk, barley, 
milk-biscuits, bread and mashed potatoes, with boiled 
tripe and small quantities of roast beef and mutton, mut- 
ton broth, gravy and vegetables, will keep them in the 
best condition if judiciously used. 

The main thing is to prevent the blood from becoming 
impure, and this is never easy where so little exercise is 
possible. Once a week a little magnesia may be given 
with the milk in the early morning ; while the droppings 
should be examined every day and prompt means taken to 
right them if wrong. 

In the hands of an expert a Yorkshire may remain in 
show form for years, whereas under wrong treatment he 
may not last through half a season. And it is scarcely 
necessary to add that none but they who have some knowl- 
edge of the treatment of toy dogs and a bountiful fund of 
patience should go in for those like Yorkshires. In fact, 
two dogs of this breed require almost as much care as one 
child, and it is the sort of care that the novice cannot 
give. 

Now to a consideration of overweight dogs. A terrier 
weighing a trifle over five pounds may be good enough to 



1 62 KENNEL SECRETS. 

win in the " under-five-pound class " but not good enough 
to compete with the big ones, therefore his owner will 
naturally strive to pull off the odd ounces and bring him 
to the standard. In order to do this and at the same 
time have him in show form he must feed with exceeding 
nicety. He must bring him down to weight but he must 
not weaken, and in fact he must improve his general con- 
dition if possible. 

In a case like this it would seem that animal foods could 
be largely relied upon as the least likely to fatten, but 
Yorkshires ought not be given much meat, for it is stimu- 
lating and quite sure to heat them up if allovv^ed in con- 
siderable quantity ; nor is it possible to give the amount 
of exercise required to obviate this effect and prevent the 
blood from becoming contaminated with the impurities 
which result from excess of animal food. These impuri- 
ties present, the entire system suffers, but in dogs they 
seem to have a decided preference for the skin. There- 
fore, once the blood is out of order a bad condition of the 
skin may follow, the hair will then of course be affected, 
and when that begins to come out it will fall off rapidly, 
and the owner of the victim would likely have to wait 
more than a year, and perhaps two years, before he 
could show again. 

Consequently " lighter " food must be mainly relied 
upon. But of course some meat can be given, chopped 
very fine, and what vegetables are allowed should be those 
that grow above ground, such as lettuce, spinach and other 
"greens." 

While new milk is one of thcsmost bland and least stim- 
ulating of foods it is to some extent fat-producing, owing 
to its cream, therefore if milk is allowed the overweighty 
it should be skimmed milk or buttermilk, and the latter 
for choice. But many toys do not seem to like butter- 



CLUMBER SPANIELS. 



MR. K. P. CwflRCirs OwRf 




.\^•. ,^',1, 



u tv) \vcij.;iu hm 



> $tf^ Ai ^Ji. 





" >■-' -6.^^ 



THE FEEDING. 1 63 

milk, many also will throw it back, consequently where it 
is refused or not kindly received by the stomach, skimmed 
milk with a little water added should be substituted. And 
of this or buttermilk nearly a saucerful might be given 
for breakfast, and smaller quantities a few times during 
the day. 

It is well to add that although advisable to restrict the 
quantity of fluids where efforts are being made to reduce 
the weight by dietetic means alone, without the assist- 
ance of exercise, an exception can be made of skimmed or 
buttermilk because of their stimulant action upon the kid- 
neys, by means of which the slight fat -producing tendency 
is more than compensated for. 

Mutton is less fattening than beef, therefore it is to be 
preferred in a case like the one under consideration. Rich 
soups favor a laying on of fat, consequently they must 
be forbidden. As for starchy foods, the quantity of them 
for all overweight dogs must be very small indeed, and it 
would be advisable always to restrict them largely if not 
wholly to plain biscuits and "white bread" that has been 
toasted or baked until brown and crisp. 

In a word, mutton broth and biscuits, or broth with 
toast, mutton, a bit of the greens occasionally, and 
skimmed milk or buttermilk should be the main sup- 
ports in feeding an overweighty Yorkshire ; while for 
a change he might be allowed " tea sops " — bread or 
toast soaked in tea — if, like the most of his kind, he 
seemed to care for them. 

Every day he should be put on the scales, and if 
found gaining in weight either the quantity of food must 
be lessened or all starchy foods discontinued for a short 
time ; in which event milk, meat and the " greens " must 
be mainly depended upon. And this diet could be made 
Inore nutritious without increasing the fat-producing ten- 



164 KENNEL SECRETS. 

dency by the addition of the white of a raw egg to each 
feed. 

In the mean time it would be absolutely necessary to 
watch his droppings closely, and increase slightly the quan- 
tity of "greens" did constipation exist ; whereas were a 
tendency to diarrhoea noted the indications would be to 
lessen the amount of these vegetables, and perhaps the 
heartier foods, and feed for a time largely on new milk 
that had been boiled and afterward fortified by the white 
of a raw egg and a little boiled flour ; while in actual 
diarrhoea did the milk appear undigested in the discharges 
spoon feeding with the white of raw eggs, beaten lightly 
in a little water, should be resorted to until marked 
improvement had been noted, and one or two drops of 
laudanum given every two or three hours if absolutely 
required. 

At this point there intrudes a fact which has a special 
bearing on feeding hardy dogs that must be pulled down 
in weight. It is, that where a meal is made on one sub- 
stance alone, whatever its nature — whether animal or 
starchy — even if that is allowed to some excess the ten- 
dency to fatten is less than it would be were the meal 
made up of several substances and the quantity of all com- 
bined was less than that of the one substance allowed. In 
other words, feed a dog wholly on meats or wholly on 
vegetable foods and they will not prove as fattening as a 
smaller quantity of the same foods in combination. 

Resuming the consideration of the foods generally 
required by the most common varieties of dogs out of con- 
dition, what has been said of the nutritive value of raw 
eggs in their entirety may lead to the supposition that 
there are other fatty foods which would do quite as well as 
they. But all such foods are not alike serviceable, for 
many of them in any form are too great a burden to 



THE FEEDING. 1 65 

the digestive organs, and, besides, with scarcely an excep- 
tion they are rendered much less digestible by cooking. 
Hence of foods that abound in fat, eggs should be used 
to the exclusion of all others. 

But fresh eggs — and they must invariably be fresh — 
are not easily obtained at certain seasons of the year, con- 
sequently it is well to inform the reader of another fat 
that can be called into service if this one is wanting. 

Cod-liver oil recommends itself, for it is disposed of with 
such ease it can generally be taken for months without 
disordering digestion. And animals to which it is given 
not only increase in weight but become much richer in 
blood. Moreover, a nice adjustment of doses is rarely 
necessary, and if too much happens to be given it has 
merely a laxative effect. 

Commencing with a dose of two teaspoonfuls for mem- 
bers of the largest varieties, one teaspoonful for dogs 
of about the size- of English settens, or one-half that 
quantity for smaller breeds, the droppings should be 
watched and an increase made each day until the dose 
is five or six times greater than at first, provided no effect 
upon the bowels is noted. And at least two doses can be 
given daily with the food. 

This oil, by the way, should be invariably purchased of 
druggists of good repute, for from them only is one likely 
to obtain a pure, refined quality ; and as it becomes rancid 
in time purchasers will do well to buy a quantity sufficient 
to last for but two or three weeks, and keep it in a cool 
place while being used. 




CHAPTER III. 



CONDITIONING THE COAT. 



When the general health of a dog is impaired the fact 
is registered in his skin and hair, they losing in corre- 
sponding degree their natural softness and elasticity and 
smoothness and lustre. And as the complexion is cleared 
'and brightened by exercise, so are the dog's skin and jacket 
improved by the same means. But while hygienic and 
dietetic influences act upon both man and the dog in pre- 
cisely the same way, outwardly the salutary effect is much 
less quickly apparent in the latter, and he may have been ill 
and long since recovered and yet his coat be still quite dry 
and staring. And it may be all this even in the presence 
of continuous good health if cleanliness has not been 
maintained by grooming. 

But even if a dog is well and has been faithfully cared 
for in this direction there is always work to be done on 
his coat before he can be shown at his best ; and as the de- 
tails of this are not generally well understood, a discussion 
of them can scarcely be without profit to the average 
reader. 

1 66 



CONDITIONING THE COAT. 1 67 

The amount and character of the work to be put in on 
the coat of course depend upon the breed and the exist- 
ing conditions. For instance, the standard for beagle 
hounds calls for a coarse, not a fine, coat; and obviously 
were one of these dogs treated to the methods required 
by setters a defect would be intensified if not actually 
created. Again, the coats of some kinds of terriers 
must be hard and wiry, and efforts to make them 
soft and pliant would simply detract from the merits of 
these dogs. On the other hand, the coat of the Maltese 
must be as soft and silky as possible ; that of the York- 
shire bright and flossy ; while the toy spaniels must have 
coats that are soft and fine. Manifestly were a German 
poodle, whose coat is corded, treated to the same method 
of brushing and combing that these toys demand his 
identity could scarcely be retained. 

Going a little farther in this direction it is noted that 
when the Clumber spaniel's coat is in good condition it 
is straight and silky, while the coat of the Irish water 
spaniel is in short, crisp curls. The greyhound's coat 
must be smooth and glossy ; and very evidently one would 
have a hard time of it were he to try to bring the rough, 
shaggy coat of the deerhound to this condition. 

But it is unnecessary to go farther in this direction, for 
the tyro has simply to determine what the standard for 
dogs of the same breed as his calls for and then adjust 
his work of conditioning the coat accordingly. 

If a dog is kept right — that is, properly fed, given 
ample exercise and groomed regularly — his coat ought to 
be in fair condition always, and the work of bringing it 
to its best should be comparatively easy and not require 
more than three or four weeks, perhaps. If, however, it 
should be fine, smooth and glossy yet is coarse, dry and 
staring, then several months might be required to get it 



1 68 KENNEL SECRETS. 

back. But whatever its condition the essential treatment 
should be begun as early as possible, — and preferably 
always with the training — for unless under the standard 
the coat of the dog should be coarse instead of fine there 
is always room for improvement no matter how high its 
polish. 

The duty of removing all fleas and other vermin and 
thoroughly cleaning the skin and hair should first engage 
the owner; and assuming that his dog is other than a 
delicate toy, it will be advisable to employ some of the 
powerful insect destroyers — see chapter "Troublesome 
Insects" — and afterward wash faithfully, using soap as 
freely as required. 

This done, if the skin is very dry, rough and inelastic 
and the hair staring, harsh and brittle, and the date of the" 
show is near, it will be a good plan to use cod-liver oil ex- 
ternally for a few days. Having been drenched with this, 
the dog should be swathed with cotton cloth, if he will 
allow it to remain on, or covered with a thin blanket, and 
put into clean quarters supplied with an abundance of 
clean straw for bedding. And during the next four or 
five days this oil should be applied about once daily — be- 
ing used always in generous quantity — and finally washed 
off. 

If now the skin is still dry another such drenching 
should follow and be kept up nearly as long as before. 
And a dog must be in a rank condition if this treatment 
will not cause a very decided gain. The oil, by the way, 
not only softens the skin and hair and improves nutrition 
at the surface, but to some extent it is absorbed and has 
much the same effect as when given internally. 

After the washing it would be well for the subject of 
this treatment to wear a blanket for a week or more. 
One would not of course ordinarily blanket a long-coated 



CONDITIONING THE COAT. 1 69 

dog, but it would be advisable when the coat is badly off 
and very rough and staring, for it would keep the hair 
down, and a moderate degree of heat being conducive to 
fine hair, the extra warmth would have a tendency to make 
the coat fine and glossy. On the other hand, were a collie, 
for instance, soft in coat it would not do to blanket him, 
but on the contrary it would be well to make him give up 
his kennel quarters for a time and rough it. 

Now comes the grooming, which must be done faithfully 
at least once, or better twice, every day ; and the longer 
the time the owner devotes to it the greater his dog's 
chances of winning. 

The hair once straightened out, — exceeding care and 
gentleness being used in the operation — unless the coat 
is naturally rough, shaggy or curly the comb should be 
laid aside, to be resorted to only when absolutely required. 
And it is not safe to use it often on a long-coated dog like 
a collie, because the teeth are liable to get down to the 
undercoat ; and many a dog of this breed has had his coat 
ruined for the show season by carelessness or ignorance 
on the part of the kennel-man. Nor is the use of the 
comb often necessary with the common varieties of dogs, 
other than those with coats like the deerhound, where a 
good brushing is given every day. 

The brush — of bristles from an inch and one-quarter to 
an inch and one-half in length for long-coated dogs, or a 
dandy brush for the smooth-coated — should be used for 
at least half an hour every morning. This should be fol- 
lowed by hair gloves, and these be kept busy for about 
the same length of time. Then should come the rubbing 
with the bare hands, — the one means of all for putting on 
a high polish — and this also should be persisted in for 
half an hour, and even an hour if possible. 

All this must be done at least once a day in order to put 



I/O KENNEL SECRETS. 

the coat of a fine-haired dog in prime condition ; and if 
he is to enter good company his owner would do well to 
have all these operations repeated again toward evening. 
And were they kept up day after day for several weeks, 
and proper diet and sufificient exercise given in the mean 
time, did the decision rest solely on condition of coat, the 
dog to which this treatment had been faithfully adminis- 
tered would be a sure winner over all others that had been 
denied it. 

Doubtless some who contemplate showing will say that 
it would be utterly impossible for them to observe these 
directions and devote so much time to their dogs. But 
the writer cannot follow them, for there is no compromise 
treatment. They can be assured that under righteous 
judges a dog of average merit with a coat in poor condi- 
tion will always be beaten by a poorer dog whose coat is in 
grand condition. Also, that in order that a dog whose coat 
according to the standard should be glossy may appear at 
his best, with all his chances of winning, he must be 
brushed and rubbed with the gloves and bare hands ; and 
if his hair is fine and enough of this is done, when he 
enters the ring it should have the gloss of satin or highly 
polished ivory. 

The hand rubbing — of which there cannot be too much 
during the last three weeks — should be kept up until 
the last washing before the show ; and after that clean 
chamois leather or a towel should be used, for one cannot 
keep his hands perfectly clean at a show, and soiled hands 
would be sure to soil the coat. 

With all dogs whose muscles should stand out like 
those of an athlete, or in other words all which ought 
to have " bossy " muscle, — as bull-dogs, bull terriers 
and greyhounds, — in rubbing with the hands the thighs 
should be rubbed both ways, and at the same time the 




CLINTON WILMERDING, 
NEW York. 



CONDITIONING THE COAT. 171 

muscles should be firmly grasped, kneaded and rolled for 
the purpose of stimulating, enlarging and hardening them. 
This rubbing up and down and massage ruffles the hair, 
and of course the same must be brushed and hand rubbed 
its way until the coat is right. 

There must not be any mistake in this matter. The 
thighs of dogs only like those stated should be rubbed 
both ways, while all others should be brushed and rubbed 
always the ojie way — with, not against, the hair. 

Special precautions against fleas should be taken in the 
kennels of dogs that are being put right for shows, for 
these dogs must not be washed any oftener than abso- 
lutely necessary for cleanliness. And it is well to add 
that excepting when they get badly soiled in their runs it 
will scarcely be required more than two or three times 
during the entire period of training or conditioning if they 
are faithfully groomed every day. Nor will it be advisa- 
ble after the first thorough work of extermination to use 
any of the powerful flea destroyers in the form of liquids 
or soaps which contain much carbolic acid, alcohol or 
strong alkalies, for these might prove prejudicial to the 
skin and hair. 

In fact it will be well to rely if possible on insect pow- 
der, and this ought to prove effective with good groom- 
ing, which alone renders fleas very uncomfortable and 
leads them to seek other victims that are less well cared 
for. 

But the dog's quarters and bedding should be scrupu- 
lously clean always, and the former frequently treated to 
the most powerful destro3^ers, the liquids being chosen if 
the weather is such that speedy drying will follow their 
use, while insect powder must be depended upon under 
other conditions ; and this should be blown into all cracks 
and crannies every two or three days. 



1 72 KENNEL SECRETS. 

Clean, coarse straw will be the best for bedding, and 
before it is put in it will be well to sprinkle freely over it 
the liquid extract of flea powder or infusion of quassia ; 
after which it should be thoroughly dried. 

As for washing, that must be done very carefully, and 
if soaps are used they should be above suspicion, it being 
accepted that the purest and best are none too good in 
this instance. But soaps should seldom be used with dogs 
that have very thin skins, as the Italian greyhound, and 
others whose jackets 'are becoming highly polished under 
the grooming and rubbing. Nor will they often be re- 
quired on any dog that is groomed as faithfully and fre- 
quently as he ought to be, the fact being fixed that the 
more of this treatment he gets the less washing he needs. 

With dogs that have thin skins, if their hair is short and 
they are naturally cleanly in their habits, rubbing with a 
damp cloth or sponge and afterward with a dry flannel 
will ordinarily suffice. 

Some breeders of dogs whose jackets are silken and 
brilliant use raw eggs, instead of soap, in washing. They 
would answer the purpose with an Italian greyhound, a toy 
black-and-tan or a Maltese, but for obvious reasons they 
would not be adapted to general use, and excepting in ex- 
tremely rare cases could. not rightly be held superior to a 
soap of good quality. However, for those who care to use 
them here are the directions : — - 

Break as many eggs as required — according to the 
size of the dog — in a hand basin, and beat sufficiently to 
mix whites and yolks. Then add warm water in relative 
proportion of one pint to four eggs. Work this through 
the coat to the skin ; and after the dog is well lathered 
have some one pour tepid water over him while you con- 
tinue to shampoo until every trace of the eggs has been 
washed out, keeping in mind the fact that the rinsing 




MR. Moses Woolland's Field Spaniel, Bridford Perfection. 






Mr. Moses Woolland-s Sussex Spaniel, Bridford Giddie." 



CONDITIONING THE COAT. 1 73 

must be thorough, otherwise the hair will be left in a 
very sticky state. 

Notwithstanding the injunction to use only the best 
soaps on dogs, and the natural desire of all to comply with 
it, many are likely to stumble at this point since so large 
a proportion of the brands reputed to be of the highest 
qualities are of cheap ingredients and therefore practically 
worthless as well as injurious to the skin and coat. Con- 
sequently the reader should be provided with a formula 
for preparing his own soap for kennel use. 

Mr. Charles H. Mason, a breeder and exhibitor of long 
experience, and now known to the kennel world as 
America's foremost judge, informs the writer that the 
best kennel soap of which he knows is made as follows : — • 

I pound of " Crown soap," 

I ounce of "mild" mercurial ointment, 

I ounce of powdered camphor. 

These ingredients must be thoroughly mixed. 

Mr. Mason used this soap for at least ten years, and 
with the best results, as proved by the many reports of the 
English papers praising the condition of his dogs. 

" Crown soap," as it is called in this country, is a soft 
soap which is extensively used for various purposes in 
England, often by ladies in washing their hair, and many 
of them have asserted that no other soap leaves it so soft 
and silken. But here the use to which it is largely de- 
voted is cleaning fine harness, the leather of which it 
leaves in good color, glossy and "kind." And from har- 
ness dealers it can be obtained in jars or barrels. 

It is presumably made of seed oils, and differs vastly in 
value as well as composition from the common soft soaps 
of America, which are very generally manufactured from 
refuse fat and grease, and are so strongly alkaline that 



1/4 KENNEL SECRETS. 

they are most decidedly injurious to the skin and hair. 
Consequently the reader must not attempt to substitute 
one of them. 

"Mild" mercurial ointment is called for, but there is 
none such in the American pharmacopoeia, and he who 
has this formula put up should inform his druggist 
that he desires the mercurial ointment popularly known 
as "blue ointment," and that it should be diluted one- 
half; or he can obtain the ointment in full strength and 
add to each pound of soap one-half an ounce of it instead 
of one ounce of the diluted or "mild." 

Soft soap of good quality is much used by physicians in 
cutaneous diseases, and chiefly eczema and scabies. As 
for mercurial ointment, that has a destructive action on 
parasitic growths and vermin ; while camphor is a sedative 
and allays itching. It will appear, therefore, that soap 
made after Mr. Mason's formula is theoretically most ad- 
mirable, not only as a means of cleanliness and of pro- 
moting health of the skin, but also as an insecticide and 
preventive of mange and other skin disorders. That it is 
really all this experience has abundantly proved, and the 
writer unhesitatingly places it before all others for use in 
the kennel. 

Drying should always be effected as speedily as possible 
after washing, and with soft and perfectly clean towels, 
the rubbing on long-coated dogs at least being carefully 
and gently done. And in all instances the drying of 
these dogs should be followed by a gentle use of the 
brush. But that must be perfectly clean, and it is easily 
made so by standing it, bristles down, in a shallow pan 
containing a strong mixture of the water of ammonia and 
water, and rinsing well afterward. 

The brushing over, the dogs should be blanketed and 
bedded with clean straw. It is well to add here that it is 





MR. J. P. WILLEY. 
Salmon Falls, N. H 



CONDITIONING THE COAT. 1 75 

the custom of some to hand rub after the brushing and 
while the coat is yet slightly damp, but to this there is the 
decided objection that the hands then draw too much on 
the roots of the hair. 

While as a rule to wash a dog properly is not difficult, 
the washing of Yorkshire terriers is an entirely different 
matter, and here the novice would be all at sea ; in fact he 
should never attempt it on a good dog, for many a "crack" 
has been ruined in the tub ; consequently for him should 
be given full directions. 

A foot-pan is as good as anything to do the washing in. 
Place this on the table. Put in as much lukewarm water 
as will nearly reach to the dog's elbows. Mix in the soap 
until you have suds — never rub the soap on the dog. Now 
take a brush, a hair-brush that has a handle and long 
bristles, dip it in the suds and brush from the centre of 
the back down, and always one way. The head must be 
washed in the same manner : brush from the centre down- 
ward; in fact use the brush just as you do when not 
washing. 

When you are sure you have reached all parts and the 
hair and skin are thoroughly clean, pass the hand from 
the centre of the back downward and force out as much 
of the soap and water as you can ; and then use the sponge 
in about the same way. This done, lift the dog out and 
put him into another tub, which is all ready on the table, 
containing clean lukewarm water, and brush him, just as 
you did with the suds, until all the soap is out. With the 
hands and sponge get out as much water as you can. 
Remove him from the tub and stand him on the table, 
put over him a cloth or towel and pass the hands over it 
with gentle pressure, that it may take up some of the 
water that remains in his coat ; but on no account must 
the hair be rubbed or ruffled. 



176 KENNEL SECRETS. 

Now, after combing him with a comb that has widely set 
teeth, begins a long and tedious process of drying. For 
this you must have two or three brushes, and while one is 
being used the others must be drying in front of the fire. 

This drying will occupy a full hour. When completed, 
take a little fine oil in the palm of the hand, rub the hands 
together and then pass them over the coat. This done, 
tie up the " bang " with a piece of ribbon or tape to keep 
it from the eyes. 

Some dogs, in fact nearly all, will "fiddle" — scratch — 
themselves, especially the very heavy-coated ones, which 
in hot weather may become heated and restless ; and these 
must have " stockings " for the hind feet. The thumb of 
an old glove will fill the bill. Put the foot into this and 
tie with a piece of narrow tape around the leg. 

Let the dog run about in the room, provided you can 
watch him, for an hour or so. Then draw the brush over 
him a few times and " cage " him. But do not oblige him 
to lie on plush or velvet cushions, for they are far from 
suitable. A linen cover is the proper thing for a cushion, 
for it cannot stain nor does the coat adhere to it. And 
such a cover should be so made that it can be taken off and 
washed. 




CHAPTER IV. 



TO AND FROM THE SHOW. 



Beginners, and in fact some old exhibitors, must be re- 
minded that when dogs are to make railroad journeys 
they should be provided with comfortable crates or boxes 
large enough to permit them to stand and turn about with 
ease ; also, that the same should be so constructed that air 
will be freely admitted on all sides and at the top, for 
otherwise they would be in danger of suffocation were the 
freight packed very closely, as it almost always is in ex- 
press cars. But this accident is never likely to happen 
where the top of the crate is round or has a double incline, 
— like the roof of a house, — and if the latter, which is 
of the easiest construction, it should be made of slats or 
narrow strips of board, and around the uppermost one, in 
the middle of it, the tenant's chain should be looped and 
fastened so that he will not likely become entangled ; 
while the upper slats on the sides should project four or 
five inches at the ends to ser\^e as handles. 

All crates should, of course, be as light as possible con- 
sistent with strength and durability. They should be 
boarded to a height which accords with the size of the 

177 



178 KENNEL SECRETS. 

dogs for which they are made ; and the tops of the boards 
should be several inches above the uppermost part of the 
tenants' backs when they are lying down, so that they 
may rest without draughts or the cold wind blowing on 
them. 

Either slats or wire netting can be put on above the 
boarding, but if the latter it should be of heavy wire, for 
the so-called chicken fence is much too fine, and the small 
wires breaking easily are a menace to the dog. 

There must be a hole in the baseboards to admit the 
drinking-pan ; and since express messengers very gener- 
ally stow crates crosswise the cars, with the door ends 
facing inward, — while along their sides they closely pack 
cases, etc., — and many of these men will not open the 
doors for fear of being bitten, it is advisable to cut this 
hole under the door. 

There should be destination cards tacked on both sides 
and over the door of the crate, together with the injunction 
" Water often ; " and to the door end should be attached 
the drinking-pan. Here, also, should be hung a small bag 
of dog cakes if the dog has a long journey before him, but 
none will be required if it is a short one ; in fact a mature 
dog that will reach his destination within forty-eight hours 
should not be given food while on the train. 

Nor should he enter upon his journey with a full 
stomach, for were he to do so the excitement would retard 
digestion, and the retained foods, decomposing, would be 
extremely liable to cause colic, diarrhoea and possibly 
death. Consequently the rule should be to feed four or 
five hours previous to the time of starting, and give the 
dog a little gentle exercise just before he leaves, to favor 
his emptying himself. And when the journey can be 
made within the period stated, cards bearing " Do not feed 
this dog " should be tacked about the crate that the in- 
junction may not be out of sight. 



a mey arc made ; and iht; lops ot ru^,: Ov.: 

. eral inches above the uppermost part of 

hen they are lying down, so that 1 

.oat draughts or the cold wind blowing 

Fifi^cr slats or wire netting can be put on above 
ling, but if the latter it should be of heavy wire. 
,, : -,-Anf-!l rrirken fence is much too fine, and tl't;^ ^.s 
wire: \;sily are a menace to the dog. 

T' -X be a hole in the baseboards to av 

drinkii^- "'^.d since express messengers very ^,. 

ally stow crosswise the cars, with the door ;. 

facing inward, — while along their sides they closely }.• 
cases, etc., — and many of these men will not open 
doors for fear of being bitten, it is advisable to cut 
hole under the door. 

There should be destination cards tacked on both >. 
■ uu' o>ver the '.-oor of the cr'to, together with the injun'" 

end should be atta' 
ihe drinkmg-par. . should be hung a smali 

-- •;: = '):.-< if t ico;/ jouniey before him. 

jrt one; in fact a m.r 
■ within forty-eig; 
! the train. 
.)is journey with a 
were he to do so ihe excitement would r- 
aigesiK :}; .aid the retained ^■-•'- -^rcomposing, v.-— ' 
extremely liable to cause aThoea and 

death. Consequently the rule should be to feed 
live houv ■ to the tinic of starting, and g.'w 

dog a lit! ^ -ercise just before he leaves, to • 

his emptying himself. And when the journe) 
made within the period stated, cards bearing " Do nut 
this dog " should be tacked about the crate that the 
junction may not be out of sight. 



TO AND FROM THE SHOW. 1 79 

To send a dog unattended to a show and intrust him 
•wholly to the caretakers provided by the management is 
generally safe if he is of fairly large variety. Still, when 
possible some one should be employed to receive him, 
look after him and his interests while on the bench and 
finally see him safely on his way home. 

But while to journey alone might not be hazardous for 
most varieties, toy dogs, and especially Yorkshires, are 
distinct exceptions. The latter if good-coated specimens 
could not safely be sent on long journeys unless in the 
care of an attendant, and to leave them to the tender 
mercies of show-keepers would be equivalent to interrupt- 
ing their show career for a long time. 

Toy dogs require proper boxes, not crates, and if sent 
even a short distance unattended they should be met on 
arrival by some friend who is up in the art of handling 
the breed and who will bestow the necessary attentions, 
etc. ; whereas if the shows are a long way off, keep them 
at home unless some one can accompany them, for the 
risk would be much too great, and especially for the long- 
coated. 

It ought not to be a difficult nor expensive matter to pro- 
vide a special caretaker for other than a toy, for in the 
absence of a friendly exhibitor almost any one of the large 
number of so-called professional handlers, to be found at 
all important shows, and whose addresses are well known 
to managements, would for a few dollars take charge of a 
dog and give him good care. And at least one of the 
duties which he would assume he could perform more 
acceptably than the inexperienced owner himself, namely, 
that of preparing the dog for the ring and handling him 
while in it. Being up in all the secrets of the toilet he 
would have him at his best by the time his class was called, 
and when before the judge he would see to it that at least 



l8o KENNEL SECRETS. 

his good points were duly brought out and no unusual 
prominence was given his defects. 

But in choosing such a caretaker let it be one who is 
to handle no more than twelve dogs, for he could scarcely 
do full justice to a greater number ; and had he several in 
the same classes he would quite naturally take the best 
one into the ring and leave the others to show attendants, 
who, as a rule, in this branch of the service are scarcely 
better than hitching-posts, having no interest whatsoever 
in the dogs which they are parading before the judges. 
And as several classes are being judged at the same time, 
if a handler has many dogs there might be one or more 
in each ring, and the majority of them, of course, beyond 
his oversight. 

As stated near the beginning, shows themselves are 
not a great menace to dogs but they are made so to many 
by the stupidity of their owners or caretakers, and one 
of the most glaring faults of which they are guilty appears 
in the familiar method of feeding. 

With only an occasional exception dogs do not eat well 
while on the bench, especially during the first and second 
days. This is but natural, and the loss of appetite would 
prove salutary were its significance rightly interpreted. 
A journey on the cars is extremely tiresome to man not- 
withstanding the luxurious provisions for his comfort, and, 
obviously, dogs shut in from light and often from air, in 
narrow and cramped quarters, must generally suffer in- 
tensely. There is, moreover, the constant and deafening 
din, which keeps them excited and anxious, and precludes 
all possibility of sleeping. It is not surprising, therefore, 
that after a journey, even although it has not extended 
beyond a day, they are fagged out, nervous and excitable. 
Now put them into a building with several hundred strange 
dogs, no small proportion of which are constantly yelping, 




MR. JAMES F. KIRK, 
Toronto, Ont. 



TO AND FROM THE SHOW. l8l 

and it would indeed be surprising were they at all inclined 
to eat. 

In such condition rest, not food, is what they need ; 
moreover, they could not digest much, if any, food were 
they to take it, for their digestive organs are no less 
weakened by the hardships that they have experienced 
than their muscular and nervous systems. But actual 
rest is out of the question at first, for their surroundings 
are too novel and bewildering ; finally, however, they be- 
come sufficiently accustomed to them to sleep soundly for 
a few hours, or during the greater part of a night, perhaps, 
and are themselves again. And when this happy state of 
things is reached — but not before — they are ready to 
eat. 

A novice that is likely to worry and fret himself to 
pieces before the judging ought never to be sent away unat- 
tended ; and if his owner cannot accompany him some one 
with whom he is familiar should do so. Arriving the day 
before the show, the attendant should take his charge 
directly to his hotel and keep him with him in his room 
or in the stable until the hour has come for benching. 

And they who have several entries would do well to 
to reach their destination as early as this, and instead of 
taking their dogs at once to the show building, find stable 
room for them and keep them there until the show opens. 

In all instances the attendants should carry with them 
food enough for at least one round — something that the. 
doo-s are accustomed to at home — and then be sure to 
tickle their palates the next morning. Having now had 
two good meals before the judging they will show up 
in decidedly better condition than they could on empty 
stomachs, wliich most dogs have for twenty-four or forty- 
eight hours after a night spent in the cars or with strangers 
of their kind. 



1 82 KENNEL SECRETS. 

The show over and the dog is being made ready for the 
return journey, the same injunctions as to watering and 
feeding as were first issued should be put upon his crate, 
to which also should be attached his drinking-pan. 

At home once more, before he is kennelled he should 
be washed thoroughly, strong carbolic soap being used 
freely, for the purpose of removing from his jacket and 
skin all disease germs that may have found lodgement 
thereon. And that the importance of this procedure may 
be duly appreciated the statement is made that were the 
germs of distemper present and had the dog once suffered 
from that disease he would be safe from them, but to his 
mates not blessed by immunity, and especially the younger 
ones, he would be a deadly menace. 

But let exhibitors take this precaution, also burn the 
bedding, thoroughly disinfect the crates, chains, collars, 
drinking-vessels, etc., and they need have no fear of dis- 
temper being sent to their kennels from shows, unless, of 
course, it is within the bodies of the returning visitors, 
and of that, as already stated, there is but little danger 
where managements are alive to their duty. 

The washing over, a little light food, as milk, should 
be given, and for several days afterward the rule should be 
to feed sparingly on simple and easily digestible foods. 

It is the custom of many to give, soon after the return, 
castor oil and syrup of buckthorn, in equal parts, and in 
doses of the same size as would be appropriate were castor 
oil alone used. To this there can be no valid objection, 
for it is likely to do good, and certainly it can do no harm 
even if not demanded. 

Other internal medication than this will seldom be re- 
quired from " start to finish," and assuredly never with 
fairly healthy dogs, notwithstanding the notion enter- 
tained by not a few exhibitors that they ought to give a 



TO AND FROM THE SHOW. 183 

little quinine or something of the sort as a " bracer," pepsin 
to assist digestion, and perhaps the bromide of potassium 
to subdue nervousness. 

All such medicines should be left at home, for were a 
dog really ill while at a show a veterinary skilled in canine 
diseases should be called in to attend him. But there is 
one preparation for external use which some exhibitors 
would do well to take with them, and that is a mixture of 
Canada balsam and carbolic acid, in equal parts. 

Oftentimes dogs, and especially the long-coated, leave 
home in good condition, with skin smooth and healthy, 
and after being on the bench a few days an eruption at- 
tended with intense itching breaks out on them. At this 
they bite and scratch until the affected spot is "raw," and 
unless treatment is promptly applied the hair is very sure 
to fall out and leave the victims disfigured for several 
months. 

Half an ounce of the mixture in question will be an ad- 
mirable provision against this accident ; and although this 
quantity could scarcely be used in a year's time in a large 
kennel, it costs no more than a smaller quantity ; moreover, 
it is a valuable remedy to have at hand at home as well as 
abroad. 

He who has it prepared should tell his druggist to use 
pure carbolic acid — the crystals merely liquefied by heat 
— and put the mixture into a bottle that has a wide neck. 

Now, if a dog is seen biting or scratching himself let 
the spot be examined, and if it is found inflamed — of 
a deep red color — take this bottle of Canada balsam and 
carbolic acid, invert it while the cork is in place, remove 
the cork, Efnd sweeping the hair well back, gently rub the 
small end over the affected surface, being careful to limit 
the application to the skin and touch no more of the 
hair than is absolutely necessary. 



1 84 KENNEL SECRETS. 

The minute quantity of the mixture which adheres to 
the corlc after the bottle has been inverted will be amply 
sufficient for an application to an inflamed spot no larger 
than a half-dollar piece, and as soon as it is made the red- 
ness will largely disappear, and the surface exhibit a thin 
white coating. 

All that remains is to dust over it a little powder, lay the 
hair down, and pass a brush over it with gentle pressure 
once or twice. The chances are many that if the applica- 
tion has reached all of the affected part the dog will not 
touch it again, the itching being entirely overcome by the 
carbolic acid, which paralyzed the cutaneous nerves. 

As to the kind of powder to use. Manifestly it would 
not be necessary to call attention to the fact that the dog 
had an eczematous spot by using white powder on him if 
he had a black coat, when powdered charcoal would answer 
every purpose. Therefore, let this be used if the coat is 
very dark. Fuller's earth will do for brownish coats, 
powdered sulphur for yellowish or grayish coats, and the 
subnitrate of bismuth for white coats. 

The hair at its lowest parts will be glued down by the 
mixture, but it must not be disturbed for a week ; at the 
end of which period a cure will generally have been ef- 
fected, and the hair can be restored by brushing after the 
mat has been well softened with water. 

Of course if one application does not suffice a second 
should be made. 

With this remedy at hand a dog can often be kept up 
through a season, whereas without it the loss of hair might 
soon make his removal from the bench imperative. 








CHAPTER V. 



ON THE BENCH. 

Once dogs are on the bench they should be fed sparingly 
until they are back to their kennels, one meal every twenty- 
four hours being the rule with all excepting toys ; and this 
should be made up of the most digestible foods. 

Those that are unaccustomed to dog cakes or biscuits, 
the food generally provided at shows, seldom take kindly 
to them while their appetites are none the sharpest; and 
they being declined it will of course be necessary for the 
caretakers to provide other food. And really he is wisest 
in this matter who relies solely upon himself and obtains 
at his hotel or markets the foods for which his dog has 
a decided preference, and feeds and waters him with his 
own hands. 

Were a dog " off his feed " while at a show it should not 
occasion uneasiness. Declining milk or broth the first 
day, he should fast until the second ; and milk again re- 
jected, he should be offered a little finely minced raw beef 
or mutton. This in turn declined, another day of fasting 
should follow, and the same tempting food be put before 
him. 

185 



1 86 KENNEL SECRETS. 

Some dogs will not touch food at any time during a 
show owing to the presence of bitches in "season " ; as a 
rule, however, the appetite manifests a disposition to return 
by the third day, especially if coaxed a bit as advised. But 
one should never go very far to bring it back. 

Writers have thought that danger lurked in feeding- and 
drinking-pans at shows ; and it certainly would were they 
used indiscriminately, but as a rule one pan does double 
duty, and each remains constantly in the stall in which it 
was first placed. Were this not the case, however, but the 
pans gathered up and taken out to be filled, they would 
need to be carefully washed, not with cold, nor even warm 
water merely, but with boiling water, for in no other way 
could they be made perfectly safe. And where this treat- 
ment was impossible the thoughtful exhibitor would see 
that the pan was removed only by himself or his repre- 
sentative. 

A word here as to the drinking water at shows. All 
know that man frequently suffers from diarrhoea in conse- 
quence of radical changes of his drinking water ; and the 
same may be due to the impurities or to great variations 
in the salts which are normal ingredients. Dogs are less 
susceptible to these changes than he, yet the indications 
are that they are sometimes affected by them. But the 
only means by which the most of their ill effects can be 
obviated is boiling ; and that is not likely to be resorted 
to except by the ideal management. 

Considering one of the most inveterate habits of the 
canine race, the droppings in the ring where dogs are 
taken for judgment and exercise must be more or less of 
a menace, for were a victim of an infectious disease to pass 
the veterinary and be admitted to a show he would likely 
deposit about, in these his intestinal discharges, the 
specific germs, which, in turn, would be taken up by other 




CHESTNUT HILL KENNELS' COLLIE, WELLESBOURNE CHARLIE. 



ON THE BENCH. 1 8/ 

dogs that snuffed at them. It follows, therefore, that in 
every ring there should constantly be an attendant pro- 
vided with a disinfectant, also a shovel and waste-basket ; 
and the sawdust soiled by even one dog should be dis- 
infected and removed. And in the absence of this precau- 
tion exhibitors will do well to walk their dogs around the 
benches — -not in the ring. 

But better still, instead of exercising dogs in the build- 
ing, let them be taken out in the early morning and walked 
about the streets, or to the nearest park or vacant lot and 
given an opportunity to "limber up" their aching and 
stiffened muscles. Convenient arrangements for doing 
this could be made with the managements of many, if not 
all, shows, or should any decline it would be necessary 
merely to deposit a small sum as a guaranty that the dogs 
would be back to their stalls at the hour the show opened 
to the public. 

Positively of all precautions which are essential to the 
maintenance of health and good condition of show dogs 
there are none raore important than this ; hence it is urged 
that the little ones be given scampers, the large and heavy 
ones long strolls, and the light-footed good, sharp runs. 
And the knowing one who has a kennel of greyhounds, 
for instance, by which he is striving to deal righteously, 
will give them five miles before breakfast, or obtain a horse 
and take them for a spin of ten miles. And by doing 
this and attending to the feeding he will keep his dogs 
good and hard for many weeks. 

In a word, early exercise, and as much as can be given, is 
one of the first essentials for show dogs while on the circuit 
and the season lasts. 

But even when given the proper amount of exercise, dogs 
must be taken from the bench several times daily, and the 
last thing at night, for otherwise were they cleanly in their 



1 88 KENNEL SECRETS. 

habits they must suffer intensely, and more than one dog 
has reached home with severe inflammation of the bladder 
in consequence of being neglected in this respect. 

The exhibitor who is a gentleman will conduct himself 
as such before the judges, and this is about all that need 
be said of ring etiquette. But a few hints as to the man- 
agement of the candidate may not be amiss. 

While being prepared for a show he should be thoroughly 
accustomed to the chain and encouraged to romp while 
under it, so that its associations will be pleasant and as 
soon as it is in the hand of his master or caretaker he will 
be full of excitement and delightful anticipation. This 
course pursued and he taught to keep still at command, 
he will be sure to be alert in the ring and stand before 
the judge with head up, eyes bright and shining with 
eagerness, tail properly carried, and feet and legs straight 
and well under him. In fact he will appear with all his 
lines well drawn, and be sure to win over his equal which 
shows up sulky, spiritless and crouching. 

As for position in the ring, it is of no importance before 
a judge that is competent, for he will never overlook a 
good dog. 

It is well to advert here to the idea so prevalent among 
the inexperienced — ■ and not without believers among 
exhibitors — that judges are often swayed by the owners 
of dogs ; or, in other words, that the dog of a well-known 
exhibitor has greater chances of winning than his equal, 
or even superior, whose owner is a comparative stranger. 

It is a deplorable fact that there is a foundation for this 
belief, for in many instances judges who lacked confidence 
in their ability to select rightly have gone to the wrong 
end of the chain as the best way out of difficulty. But 
this is not done with dishonest intent. On the contrary, 
the judge may feel that he can come nearer justice bygiv- 




;-i»> 




MR. THOMAS H. TERRY, 

New York. 



ON THE BENCH. 1 89 

ing the ribbon to some well-known exhibitor who always 
has good ones, than by following his own fancy, which he 
realizes might be for a bad one. 

Perhaps relatively fewer cases of this are occurring now 
than in the past, yet it is plainly evident that there is 
still great chance for improvement, and the sooner show 
managements realize this the better for them and for the 
dog, whose improvements should be paramount to self- 
interest. Clearly a man who has not had the experience 
to warrant him in undertaking the task of judging should 
not accept the position. Manifestly, also, the exhibitor 
who spends time and money in getting a good kennel 
together has a right to expect that his dogs will be judged 
by a competent person. And, for obvious reasons, the 
man who has inferior dogs desires inferior judges ; while 
the better the judges the smaller the chances of a poor 
specimen getting to the front. 

All this is evidently duly appreciated by exhibitors who 
should rightly be the most influential, for there is a rapidly 
growing disposition on their part to have their dogs 
placed under qualified men only, they appreciating fully 
that the incompetent judges make improvement well-nigh 
impossible. 

Such being the disposition of exhibitors to-day, and since 
the remedy lies largely with them, the fault of incompe- 
tency in judges must dissipate steadily and rapidly ; and 
it is scarcely necessary to add that it is the bounden duty 
of all having interest in the matter to hasten its decline. 

Before leaving exhibitors there is yet an important point 
to be touched upon. Beyond dispute one of the most 
potent causes of the great mortality among puppies is an 
inherent weakness transmitted from either the sire or 
dam — and most often the former, in the selection of 
which long pedigrees and prize-winning records are so 



IQO KENNEL SECRETS. 

generally deemed the first essentials. The questions 
naturally suggest themselves, Are not successes on the 
bench often much too dearly bought ? and are not frequent 
exhibitions prejudicial to the health of the animals shown ? 
Do they not lessen their value as breeders ? 

To the large non-sporting dogs of both sexes there is 
certainly danger if they appear often or are kept long 
on the bench, for as a matter of fact many of the most 
noted prize-winners among them are comparatively worth- 
less for breeding purposes. Upon these varieties the 
hardships of shows and journeys in the cars seem to tell 
the most sorely ; moreover, it is not only not easy to 
keep them in condition, but extremely difficult to bring 
them back after they have much fallen off. 

But one of the reasons why shows prove so injurious 
to these varieties appears in the common method of con- 
ditioning by means of drugs. Such methods, perhaps, 
prove satisfactory with most dogs for about a year — 
possibly a little longer — and they show up in good form. 
' Sooner or later, however, the fact dawns upon their owners 
that to put flesh on them is more difficult than it once 
was, and thereafter "treatment" is begun earlier in the 
season, and much larger doses of medicine are given. 
But at last there comes a time when nature rebels or is 
no longer able to respond. Overfeeding first weakened 
the digestive system ; soon it became disordered or dis- 
eased ; and with these changes every important organ 
declined in power. Then nutrition suffered and the blood 
became rapidly impoverished ; and this point once reached 
the evidences of decay are too plain to be mistaken. 

The poor dogs' winning days over they are retired from 
the bench, but not from the stud, for which they are now 
well-nigh worthless. From the day that the cramming 
system commenced their value lessened steadily, and long 



ON THE BENCH. 191 

before their retirement they were absolutely unfit for 
breeding purposes, because of constitutional impairment 
— the inevitable concomitant of this fatal conditioning 
process. 

Doubtless there are breeds of dogs which suffer less 
from it than others ; some may even escape injury and 
remain on the bench for many years, but for large breeds 
there is no immunity — sooner or later the penalty must 
be enforced. No one well informed will attempt to under- 
estimate the value of prize-winning records. The public 
generally recognize the fact that if a breeder has dogs 
which he honestly believes can win at shows he will not 
hesitate to exhibit them ; therefore, would-be purchasers 
rightly seek the kennels of the most successful exhibitors, 
and the latter try to retain their prestige, but in doing so 
often ruin their dogs. 

The moral of this- is : Remove a dog from the bench, 
" for good and all," on appearance of the first signs which 
seem to indicate that his constitution is being undermined. 
Show the largest only at fairly long intervals — never for 
several consecutive weeks — and retire them permanently 
within two years. 

There remain to be considered a few requirements 
which should be invariably met by show managements. 
And the first to suggest itself is, that the movable benches 
be thoroughly disinfected after every show. This is 
absolutely the most effective means of prevention of con- 
tagion, and those in authority who fail to provide it, mildly 
speaking, are deserving the contempt of every lover of the 
dog. 

To make ample provisions against fire is another impor- 
tant requirement. There have been but few instances, 
and possibly no more than one, where fires have broken 
out in dog shows and destroyed life, but the horrors of 



192 KENNEL SECRETS. 

that one are fresh in the minds of exhibitors, and they, 
at least, will appreciate the necessity of every precaution 
against like accident. 

In all places in which shows are held there are many 
" call firemen " or what are commonly termed " subs," and 
as goodly a number of them as possible should be among 
the helpers, and always a part of the night-force. Know- 
ing the special purpose for which they are hired they will 
of course locate the hydrants, see that all the hose is 
conveniently placed, the fire buckets kept filled, etc. 

Man never values nearly as highly as he ought his eye- 
sight or his hearing until he has met with a loss ; so, also, 
is he reluctant to provide against fire before he has been 
burned out or fiercely threatened ; consequently some 
managements may think this precaution unnecessary, but 
many exhibitors will differ widely from them, and if they 
.esire protection for their dogs they have only to insist 
upon it and it must be furnished. 

Rails in front of the benches are by no means a familiar 
sight, yet they should invariably stand before all large 
dogs at least. Dogs, like members of the highest order 
of animals, are occasionally erratic, and some that are 
truly lamb-like in the kennels are very fractious while on 
the bench. Considering that harm might be done, also 
that visitors themselves must feel safer where this precau- 
tion is taken, it would seem as though bench show man- 
agements ought not to require much urging to put up 
rails, — about two feet from the stalls — and certainly 
none will object who have once stood defendants in a 
suit for damages for a dog-bite. 

Cards printed in large type and bearing the words " Do 
not handle Strange Dogs " should appear at every hand 
in all buildings, to remind visitors, many of whom seem 
to forget the fact, that dogs can bite. 



ox THE BENCH. 1 93 

Quite a common error at shows is much too high 
benches for the largest dogs. These when loaded down 
with fat or well along with pup are about as capable of 
jumping as a man carrying an anvil, consequently in 
getting in and out of high stalls they are much strained 
in the back and possibly otherwise injured. 

Most people when they have diphtheria or other infec- 
tious disease in their homes hang about the sick-room 
cloths wet with carbolic acid, or place here and there 
saucers filled with the chloride of lime, thinking that 
thereby they kill the germs of disease floating in the 
air. As a matter of fact these agents so used have no 
action whatsoever upon disease germs, and simply render 
the air still more impure. 

So it is with many of the disinfectants used at shows ; 
they give off a pungent odor, but affect disease germs no 
more than a blank cartridge would a grizzly. These . 
called disinfectants, however, are not objectionable solely 
because they are worthless for the purpose for which they 
are sold; they are really injurious to dogs as well as man 
when used freely as at shows, for some of their elements 
rise and float in the air and render it highly irritating — a 
fact of which no old exhibitor needs to be assured, for he 
has suffered too often from stuffiness of the nose, dryness 
of the throat and other evidences of inflammation of the 
air-passages, while in dogs their ill effects have been mani- 
fested by hoarseness and bloodshot eyes. 

Economy as well as utility considered, it seems as 
though show managements would do well to prepare 
their own deodorizer and disinfectant. And as good an 
agent as any is the permanganate of potassium, two 
pounds of which added to water will make thirty gallons 
of as efficient disinfectant — safety considered — -as can 
be obtained anywhere ; although, by the way, manufac- 



194 



A'/'.WA'KL SKC/vK fS. 



turors of patented preparations will stouiK' assert to the 
eontrarv. This solution is odorless and therefore a vast 
improN-enient on nian\' of the reputed disinfectants, no 
small number of whieh are absolutely valueless as such, 
merely substituting;- as thev do one odor for another. 

And since the hue particles of wood that arise from the 
rmgs cause nuich irritation of the air-passages, authorities 
are wise, and spare both dog" and man much discomfort, 
who see to it that the sawdust is slightly dampened with 
this solution. 




PART III. 



BREEDING. 




CHAPTER L 



SELECTION OF SIRE. 



It would seem from the practice of the infinite majority 
of breeders that they, in the beginning, accepted as a fixed 
fact that "like produces like" with positive certainty, and 
satisfied that in this familiar aphorism was comprised the 
one and only essential principle, in the application of 
which none could stray, they were quite content and had 
no desire to go farther into the subject. It is not surpris- 
ing, therefore, that but few have succeeded while many 
have failed, and that a large proportion of the best dogs 
have been what might without impropriety be called acci- 
dental creations. 

Some breeders consider pedigree of first importance 
and mate accordingly, practically ignoring the question 
of suitability, also the fact that with good pedigrees on 
both sides the puppies are often very poor specimens. 
And these rely 'mainly on reversion ; or in other words 
they confidently expect that even if the dogs chosen are 
not themselves all that is desirable they will yet be sure 
to "throw back," and that their offspring will resemble 
ancestors, more or less remote, which were good. 

197 



198 KENNEL SECRETS. 

Other breeders believe that success at shows is a guar- 
anty of all the most desirable qualities, therefore they 
invariably seek sires among prize-winners, without thought 
of fitness or questioning whether they won in good com- 
pany oi' under competent judges. And with them there 
are but two accepted laws in breeding, namely, " like 
produces like" and "breed always from the best" — the 
"best" being those of visible merits without considera- 
tions as to the qualities of the ancestors or conformity of 
the individuals selected to the same general types of their 
families. 

Members of both classes are occasionally successful, 
yet when so they scarcely deserve credit, for they have no 
ideals nor real systems, and always follow, never lead. 

Of course their expectations have foundations, for it is 
evidently a law of animal organism that the offspring shall 
inherit characters of parents, but this does not mean that 
they shall inherit all the characters, nor even one or more 
of the most desirable, for there are other laws the influ- 
ence of which may be predominant and for the time being 
at least obscure this hereditary tendency. Again, while 
the offspring may be said very generally to resemble the 
parents the resemblance is not, as so many assume, con- 
fined to the outward form and visible characters, but as 
often, doubtless, manifests itself beneath the surface, and 
without evidence except such as appears in psychical 
qualities. 

" Breed to the best " is of course a golden rule, pro- 
vided it is rendered rightly — -that is, the selection is con- 
sistent and the breeder is influenced not alone by obvious 
excellence of the individual but by the family history as 
well. In other words, he has a proper conception of it 
who looks for a combination of qualities when seeking a 
sire, and considers not merely the dog himself and his 





^ 



MR. A. D. SUTCLIFFE'S SM OOTH -COATED COLLIE, PICKMERE. 




HEMPSTEAD FARM'S COLLIE, CONRAD II. 



SELECTION OF SIRE. 1 99 

dominant characters but the characters of his family, the 
constancy with which good qualities have been trans- 
mitted, whether the existing perfections will compensate 
for ancestral defects, etc. 

He who would improve his dogs by developing their 
most valuable qualities and fortifying them with others, 
and so give evidence that he is something more than a 
breeder in name merely, must have a conception of the 
qualities that constitute perfection — an idea of what he 
wishes to create, the ideal form ' he would mould. He 
must also be able to detect slight variations in form and 
qualities within ; moreover, have a knowledge of the funda- 
mental laws of animal organization, and especially those 
that relate to inheritance. 

With these and good judgment and perseverance he 
can feel confident of success. But theii" acquirement 
means systematic observation and an abundant material 
for study, consequently it is scarcely surprising that there 
are so few real breeders. 

The one who possesses these eminent qualifications 
seeks the dog that is most likely to correct the faults of 
his bitch and at the same time preserve her good qualities 
in the offspring. But he does not follow the custom 
which seems so prevalent among breeders and choose 
always a dog that is strong where his bitch is weak. For 
instance, if the average breeder has a bitch whose muzzle 
is too long his choice is a dog with a good muzzle ; or 
if she is "leggy" he seeks a stocky dog with plenty of 
bone and muscle. Again, if breeding for color and his 
bitch is rather light, he chooses a dog that is inclined to 
be dark. And in all his selections he considers merely 
individual excellence ; with the result that only compara- 
tively rarely does he breed puppies nearly as good as their 
parento. 



200 KENNEL SECIiETS. 

But the knowing breeder does not pursue this course, 
for he goes back of the individuals and is influenced by 
the characters of their families ; and while he prefers a 
dog that is not only good himself but came of stock that 
was invariably good, he values family excellence above 
that of the individual. In other words, if his bitch has 
too long a muzzle, his choice is a dog that comes from a 
family that were good in muzzle, rather than a dog which 
exhibits this quality but is of a family that were poor in 
muzzle. 

He also appreciates that he mav intensify a defect by 
breeding to a dog that is good where his bitch is bad. 
For instance, if she is snipy in muzzle and of a family 
none too good in this point, and he finds a dog that is 
short and square in muzzle, and in fact very good in all 
points before the eyes, he does not jump at the conclusion 
that this is the dog for him to bread to. No. He goes 
carefully into his history, and if he learns that he comes 
from a bitch that was bad in muzzle and her family also 
had the same fault, while his sire was only fair in muzzle 
and of a family that were not noted for good muzzles, then 
he regards that dog as an "accident," and considers that 
were he to breed his bitch to him the existing defects 
would likely be intensified. Therefore, he seeks a dog 
that is known to transmit to or mark his puppies with 
good muzzles, and from parents or a family that were 
noted for the same excellent quality. 

Assuming another case, and this time of a bitch with 
yellow eyes. Now the average breeder would select a 
dog that had eyes of good color, without considering for 
a moment that that dog may be an "accident," — or, in 
other words, from a yellow-eyed family, — but he who has 
had experience and profited by it would satisfy himself 
on this point, and if the dog came from such a family he 
would choose one from a family good in eye. 



SELECTION OF SIRE. 20I 

That there may be no mistaking the meaning of all this 
still another case is assumed, and of a pointer bitch light 
in head. Her owner, an intelligent breeder, instead of 
choosing as a sire a heavy-headed dog mates her to one 
that is perhaps a little on the light side, and the puppies 
come right. Why did he do this .'' He knew what there 
was in his bitch's pedigree. In a word, he knew that she 
was closely related to a strong-headed family, and that 
the sire he had selected for her was also from a family 
that were good in head. But had he selected a short- 
faced and thick-headed dog of a short-faced and thick- 
headed family, the result would doubtless have been far 
from his liking. 

The obvious conclusion is, that in selecting a sire one 
must not only be familiar with the available dogs them- 
selves but have a good knowledge of their family history; 
moreover, he should know whether or not their offspring 
very generally resembled them or some of their ancestors. 
Some sires and dams, in fact, seem to have but little indi- 
viduality, as shown by their inability to reproduce them- 
selves. Two inmates of the writer's kennels plainly 
testified to this fact. Both were mastiffs — dog and bitch 
— two removes from "Crown Prince," and notwithstand- 
ing they had dense black muzzles, no matter how mated 
they almost invariably " threw puppies " having the same 
peculiar chocolate-colored muzzle of their noted ancestor. 

Manifestly, therefore, a good, shapely and well-marked 
dog may prove but an indifferent stock-getter, while, on 
the other hand, one with a glaring defect — as bad color 
of muzzle, size of ear, expression of eye, etc. — may turn 
out admirably. And although such results, good or bad, 
may sometimes be purely accidental, as a rule, to which 
there are not many exceptions, they are due to that peculi- 
arity of "throwing back." 



202 KENNEL SECRETS. 

Experience has shown that admirable qualities must 
exist for many generations in order to render their per- 
petuation highly probable. For instance, if a dog has a 
grand head yet his sire and grand-sire were deficient in 
this quality, then the chances are against his offspring 
being endowed like himself ; and especially narrow are 
they if their dam is weak in head. Were she so and only 
two dogs available, one with a grand head yet of small- 
headed ancestors, and the other small-headed but of a 
family noted for good heads in the two generations before 
him, her owner would probably have the best results from 
the use of the latter. 

Another product of experience, is that to breed out some 
defects is much more difficult than others ; and as a rule, 
the resistance is in proportion to their duration in the 
family. In other words, a fault of two generations is much 
less easily eradicated than a fault of but one. 

Here it is well to emphasize the fact that weak points 
are as likely to be transmitted as strong ones ; also that 
structural defects, as deformities of limb and other vices 
which result from errors in management during the grow- 
ing stage, are liable to be passed on. And, in truth, it is 
oftentimes so difficult to breed out acquired abnormal 
peculiarities one would be seldom justified in choosing 
a sire that had any such that were very serious. 

In breeding non-sporting dogs the form and proportions 
are the main objects of study, and efforts are generally 
centred upon their improvement alone, but with dogs to 
be used for special purposes, as in the field, there are more 
characters to be developed and therefore a greater number 
of difficulties to contend with. Consequently, oftener in 
this line than in the other breeders meet with incompati- 
bles, and in many instances they must fix upon a few 
special qualities, endeavor to bring them to a high degree 




»liiiliLiiid2il^*2S2^«i 



SELECTION OF SIRE. 203 

of excellence, and in the mean while practically neglect 
others. And in doing so they frequently find it necessary 
to take risks ; that is, in order to improve one quality they 
are often obliged to put another in jeopardy ; but he who 
is wise never does this unless the gain promises to be 
much greater than the loss. 

Setter breeders well illustrate this principle of " give 
and take." They have produced in what is known in this 
country as the Llewellin setter great speed and dash, yet 
have sacrificed much of the beautiful setter quality that is 
seen in the Laveracks. 

But in breeding for the field, while it is desirable that 
both sires and dams be well broken, to base selections 
purely on excellence as workers is clearly wrong if real 
improvement is the end in sight, for, manifestly, there is 
no chance for form if one breeds for nose, another for 
speed, and so on, ignoring the points of the breed. And 
the reader should unhesitatingly accept that he can never 
justly sacrifice type for any educational quality. Moreover, 
he should be duly mindful of the fact that less importance 
is to be attached to a killing pace and more to other essen- 
tial qualities, also, that he cannot expect greyhound speed 
in setter form, and if he is to have one he must give up 
the other. 

Every beginner should start out with a fixed purpose of 
breeding, not for market merely, but to advance his special 
variety of dogs to a higher grade of excellence. Even if 
he is so fortunate as to be able to indulge his inclinations 
to their full extent, he should not invest largely at first. 
Three or four brood bitches will be quite as many as he 
can do justice to while yet inexperienced, and to him they 
will prove more profitable than would twice this number. 

If he has a dog of his own he will likely use him 
in every instance, and if he does so he will be liable to go 



204 KENNEL SECRETS. 

backward as often as forward, no matter how good the 
same or how good his mates. In fact, to buy a dog and 
breed him to every bitch in the kennel is one of the worst 
mistakes which a breeder can make, and one which, as a 
rule, destroys many of the chances of eminent success. 

Therefore, he is wise who depends largely upon others 
for his sires. He will naturally have a leaning towards 
the most successful prize-winners, and rightly so, for in 
them he will generally find the nearest approach to the 
ideal, but he must not assume, as many seem to do, that 
these winners comprise all the best stock-getters. As 
a matter of fact no small proportion of them are practi- 
cally valueless for breeding purposes. And of the various 
reasons for this fatal defect the " most pronounced is that 
they are weakened by excessive use and the hardship they 
undergo in their preparation for shows and while on 
the bench ; in consequence of which they are liable to 
produce offspring with constitutional taints that either 
destroy them early or lead to deformities and disease. 
Therefore, when selecting from prize-winners one must 
needs be very cautious, and bear in mind that high health 
and vigor are essentials of infinite importance. 

The bitch is of course an important element, yet a good 
dog and a ivell-bred hut rather indifferent bitch jjtay hreed 
the very best. In fact, there is reason to believe that the 
proportion of winners have been from bitches that could 
not win themselves. 

Here intrudes another important fact, namely, that 
those who are breeding for size almost always select large 
bitches and large dogs, yet the majority of the big ones 
have been offspring of bitches of undersize that were bred 
to strong, heavy-boned dogs of substance. 

As for in-breeding, as a rule it should be discouraged. 
But to produce certain results it is not only not harmful but 



DR. J. GRIFFITH LOCK'S OLD ENGLISH SHEEP DOGS. 




Sir Cavendish. 




Lady Grizzle. 



Lady Cavendish. Sir Cavendish. 



SELECTION OF SIRE. 205 

justifiable ; indeed, oftentimes it is the correct way to fix 
desirable qualities. For instance, both sire and dam may 
wisely be bred to their offspring, and even brother to 
sister, if by this means there is a promise that the higher 
qualities of each will be passed on and better development 
secured. 

To justify in-breeding, however, both parties to the 
union must be of good quality and not share the same 
defects, and there must exist ample reason for expecting 
that the faults of one will be corrected or greatly lessened 
by the perfections of the other. 

To breed as deeply as stated more than once in the 
same family without a break is doubtless at times justifi- 
able ; but still it is hazardous, and especially so unless the 
individuals are of rare good quality and remarkably healthy 
and vigorous. 

The principal objections to in-breeding are, that it 
greatly weakens the nervous system, — producing exces- 
sive excitability, — - intensifies constitutional defects, leads 
to decrease in size, creates a predisposition to disease and 
impairs the reproductive functions. 

In a word, by the means of in-breeding desirable qualities 
may be made more pronounced, retained and perpetuated, 
but to be safe it must be very intelligently applied, with 
well-selected individuals only, and it must not go far in 
a family. 

The conclusions to be drawn from the foregoing are, that 
the beginner should first visit shows and other places 
that furnish material, and there critically study the best 
specimens of his chosen variety of dogs. ' If closely, 
observing he will in time become familiar with what are 
generally accepted as good qualities and be able to detect 
the faults. An ideal model will then be possible, and this 
developed and a knowledge of the common lawa of inherit- 



206 KENNEL SECRETS. 

ance acquired he will be fairly started and may hope to 
make breeding a success. But until he has reached this 
point he will do well to consult some acknowledged and 
disinterested authority in his line of dogs, and in the 
selection of sires act as he advises. 

A very erroneous notion is prevalent regarding the 
influence of the previous sire on produce, and a hasty 
glance at the subject can properly be taken here. 

Cases are on record in which bitches had litters by 
dogs of other breeds than their own and subsequent 
offsprings by dogs of their own kind exhibited traces of 
the previous sires ; and such instances, while extremely 
rare, have yet been too many and too well authenticated 
to be denied or explained away on the hypothesis of coin- 
cidence. 

Various theories have been set forth as explanations of 
these exceptional phenomena, and as the writer has none 
to advance he will confine himself to mere review and 
passing criticism. 

The first that found any considerable acceptance had its 
origin some twoscore years ago, but soon passed out of 
sight to be revived and brought into prominence by Mr. 
Everett Millais of England, who gave it his indorse- 
ment. 

This, in a nutshell, is, that the life-giving germ can 
penetrate the serous coat of the ovary, burrow into its 
parenchyma and seek out immature ova, not to be ripened 
and discharged perhaps for years, and to produce the 
modifying influence described. 

At the present time this theory is incapable of proof or 
disproof, but the careful student can but acknowledge that 
it is plausible, and after a consideration of the different 
theories the author of this must seem to him to have at 
least approached nearer the border of the true solution 



SELECTION OF SIRE. 20/ 

of the vexed problem than any of the others who have 
attempted to reach it. 

Another theory is, that the influence of the previous 
sire is due to maternal impression, consequently is purely 
mental. 

This cannot be accepted. Puppies in tLtero are in 
every sense parasites and therefore beyond such influ- 
ence. Again, if the phenomena were due to maternal 
impression all the members of a litter would likely be 
affected, whereas as a rule only one member exhibits 
influence of the previous sire. 

Still another theory is, practically, that developing pup- 
pies in ntero modify the tissues and cells of the mother, 
and such change is more or less permanent and affects 
subsequent offspring. 

To believe this is to accept that a woman can be so 
modified in her physical texture by the impress of her 
husband, conveyed to Jicr through the growing fcstns, as to 
stamp the children by a future husband with the individu- 
ality of the former. Bearing in mind always that the 
child in ntero is simply a parasite, and that while the 
developing tissues of the child may in a general way 
be influenced by the mother's condition and by poisons 
circulating in her blood, it is absurd to suppose that the 
parasite ovum can have a transforming and metamorphos- 
ing influence upon the already developed tissues of the 
mother. Moreover, were this theory sound the influence 
would be universally applicable instead of exceptional, as 
it clearly is. Again, were the influence transmitted 
through a change in the maternal make-up it would 
affect all members of a litter, and not, as is usually 
noted, only one or possibly two. 

This theory, therefore, is vague, unsatisfactory and 
opposed to reason, and one might as well say that a hus- 



208 KENNEL SECRETS. 

band can influence the length of his wife's nose, the color 
of her eyes, or in any lesser way influence her tissues and 
cells with the impress of his own through the medium of 
the child /;/ utero. Nor does this run counter to the fact 
that a husband can transmit to his wife a grave disease of 
the blood through the medium of the child in iitero, for in 
such case there is a destructive virus or germ to be trans- 
mitted. 

But the theories are not the points of interest in this 
subject, and the one to be emphasized is, that infinitely 
many people labor under the absurd impression that a 
victim of misalliance is practically ruined for breeding 
purposes, and in consequence no small number of unfor- 
tunates are sacrificed yearly. 

All this is certainly surprising in face of the fact that 
the influence of the previous sire is rarely felt. Indeed, 
Mr. William Wade of Hulton, Pa., a well-known breeder 
as well as close and highly intelligent observer, has care- 
fully investigated over fifty cases of misalliance and found 
after-effects in no more than three. And it is safe to 
say that this is not near the actual proportion, for only 
instances of occurrence are likely to be remembered. 

It ought not to be necessary, therefore, to urge that a 
victim of misalliance should not be killed merely because 
of this accident, nor even considered in the slightest 
degree of less value for breeding purposes. She should 
be treated precisely as she would have been treated had 
it not happened ; and all subsequent litters that show no 
taint can without any impropriety be credited to their 
sires. 

There is yet one more important question to be consid- 
ered before closing this chapter, namely, which is the 
more important element, the sire or the dam 1 

In a recent communication in print Mr. Everett 



SELECTION OE SIRE. 209 

Millais, to whom reference has been made in the fore- 
going, very aptly states as follows : — 

" A pedigree animal is not an animal which has a pedigree, for as a pedi- 
gree it may be that of the greatest mongrel with the vastest extent of blue 
blood, but a pedigree animal is one who by his pedigree shows that he has 
been inbred enormously without any deterioration in quality; and the value 
of a pedigree animal, whether it be dog, pig, sheep, horse or bull, is in the 
fact that in comparison with anon-inbred animal it has the power of imi^ess- 
ing on its progeny its o\\nfo7'm and external characteristics, which no animal 
has to such an extent if it is not bred on these lines. 

" Why do people use pedigree bulls in preference to others ? why do peo- 
ple go for thoroughbreds, pedigree stud dogs, etc., etc. .' 

" It is because their stock is improved in the direction of the sire, not on 
that of the dam, and with these facts before us, which I might largely add to, 
we have standing proofs that the dictum that the sire generally determines 
the form and external characteristics is not open to modification excepting 
in the case of mongrels, where it is impossible to form any opinion as to 
the results." 

Knowing that Mr. Millais had made many experiments 
in hybridizing, the writer solicited from him a descrip- 
tion of the results with dogs ; and the same was at once 
generously forwarded, together with notes on like experi- 
ments made with birds by his brother Mr. J. G. Millais, 
a member of the Zoological Society, and the author of 
"British Game Birds." 

The following were the experiments with dogs : — 

In 1873, I h^d an Italian greyhound bitch which at three successive heats 
was warded as follows : — 

1. By a German rattenfaenger. 

2. By a white poodle. 

3. By an Italian greyhound. 

In every case the bitch threw to the male ; and in the last litter no signs 
were apparent of her two misalliances. 

In 1874, I bought a dachshund that was suckling pups by a Skye terrier. 
These were long-haired, and I destroyed them. But in every subsequent lit- 
ter this bitch, known amongst dachshund breeders as the " Great Waldine," 
produced champions; and on no occasion did she ever show the influence 
of the previous sire. 



2IO KENNEL SECRETS. 

In 1875, I imported the first basset into England, and as I could not find a 
bitch here, acting on the advice of the late Mr. Lort, I bred bassets through 
a beagle. 

It is not necessary, I am sure, for me to point out to you the vast differences 
between the two as far as the formation of the front feet, but what will be in- 
•teresting is the results of crossing the two breeds. 

In the first cross — and I may here state that as the beagle was a sixteen- 
inch one I had to rig up a platform for the dog to work upon — the produce 
all took after him in color and hound-like qualities. But the most substantial 
difference between the produce and their mother the beagle was as follows : 
The puppies, three of which I kept, were considerably lower on the legs and 
bigger-boned than the dam. At the same time the legs were so like those 
of the sire that any Frenchman seeing them would have at once, without 
hesitation, termed them what is known abroad as " Bassets a jambes demi- 
tortues." 

Two of these puppies I mated with their own sire the following year, and 
the result was perfect bassets, two of which I exhibited at the Agricultural 
Hall Exhibition in 1877. 

My next experiment was with the sire of the same puppies and a bitch 
which, from accidental enlarging of her parts, was unable to be properly mated. 
And on this occasion I artificially fecundated the bitch by collecting the male 
element in a vessel, which was floated in another vessel kept up to the tem- 
perature of 100° Fahr. with hot water, — the water being in the outermost cup 
and floating the reservoir containing the vital germs, — and injecting the 
same by means of an ordinary human catheter fixed to an ear syringe. 

This bitch had two pups ; and at their birth I sent a report of the case to 
the Veterinary Joui-nal, the same issue of which contained an account of a 
like experiment made some two hundred years ago, the results of which were 
three puppies, all resembling the sire. 

On another occasion I fertilized no less than three bitches on the same day 
from a single discharge of a dog. 

My later experiments in the same line have not been very successful, and 
this I attribute to the fact that the bitches I have used have never bred or 
are apparently now barren; and the dogs, or at least one of them, was quite 
impotent from age. 

These experiments are as follows : — 

In 1891. 

rSire, the basset-hound Floreal. 

I Dam, the bloodhound Inoculation. 

j Result, one dead puppy. 

I Characteristics of puppy : color of sire, fore-legs partaking of the sire. 




MB. HERBERT ViCKERS' WHIPPET, ZUBER." 




Mr. H. Hemmens' Dalmatian, Water Lily." 



SELECTION OF SIRE. 



211 



(Sires, basset-hound Floreal and bloodhound Champion Cromwell. 
Dam, Inoculation. 
Result, miscarriage. 

/ Sires, as above. 
2 -| Dam, bloodhound Relentless. 
I Result, missed. 

Sire, Champion Cromwell. 
Dam, a bloodhound bitch. 
Result, missed. 

{Sire, Champion Cromwell. 
Bitch, basset-hound Mindful. 
Result, missed. 

r Sire, basset-hound Floreal. 
I Dam, basset-hound Antoinette. 
5 1 Result, seven puppies, — four dogs, three bitches. Four took after the 
I sire in color and two after the dam. 



This bitch evidently became fertilized to the first injection and began to 
pup two days before she was due; that is to say she showed the first signs of 
pupping on the sixty-first day. 

I was at the kennels on that day and noted that she was uneasy, but left her 
for an hour or two as I thought her labor just commencing. On examining her 
on my return I found that the membranes were presenting but there was no 
sign of labor pains whatever, and looking upon the case as a bad one at the 
beginning I examined her still further and detected a pup presenting itself 
hind legs first. On attempting, however, to seize it with forceps it slipped 
back and I could not find it again. 

As no effort was made at natural expulsion except during the examination 
I gave the bitch successive doses of ergot, but it failed to have any effect. 

On the day following these attempts to encourage natural delivery I suc- 
ceeded in delivering her of six living puppies, every one of which came as the 
first appeared to come ; and on the following day of a seventh. This latter 
was dead, and had been so for some time, for it was macerated; and its con- 
dition doubtless accounted for that of the bitch, who died of septicaemia on 
the second day. 

I was unable to get a foster at once, consequently lost five of the pups, 
but the one living now is a strong bitch nearly three months of age. 

I do not think that the means employed to fertilize the mother had anything 




U> Z. * •/»•• '-" » B»%5?-', S?-''." 




¥!>. £, h, WAWJCt * I/*'^^*''-»V, i*#«T> 



SELECTION OF SIRE. 213 

/ Sire, tufted duck. 

\ Dam, pochard. 

V Produce, takes after the male. 

( Sire, teal. 

? Dam, wild duck. 

' Produce, takes after the male. 

' Sire, pochard. 
Dam, white-eyed duck. 

Produce, called Pagefs pochard, takes after the sire in almost every- 
thing. 

{Sire, widgeon. 
Dam, pintail. 
Produce, takes after the widgeon. 

Mr. Everett Millais has made many other experiments 
in hybridizing and found that in all instances, whether the 
hybrids were in animal or vegetable life, the weight was 
invariably on the side of the male parent. And limiting 
the question to dogs, in the light of the evidence offered 
by him and general experience of breeders, it is safe to 
accept that when the sire is much inbred, in form and ex- 
ternal characteristics the produce resembles him rather 
than the dam. 




CHAPTER II. 

IN SEASON. 

The first occurrence of that peculiar state of the system 
known as the " rutting season " or " oestruation," during 
which only will the bitch allow the approaches of the dog 
and impregnation is possible, as a rule occurs about the 
ninth month, but it varies in different breeds and individ- 
uals, also from the influence of constitution, diet and condi- 
tions and habits of life. For instance, some breeds usually 
come in season when about eight months old, whereas 
others but rarely do so until the second year Again, in 
bitches that are healthy, well nourished, have ample exer- 
cise and are otherwise properly treated, this peculiar mani- 
festation is very generally noted much earlier than in 
bitches of poor constitution kept much in kennels or fed 
mainly on starchy foods and allowed but little meat. 

The return of this period is also subject to frequent 
variations, and from much the same influences that delay 
its first occurrence,; and while bitches that are happily 
placed, well cared for and healthy usually come in twice 
yearly, with those that are neglected, unhealthfully sit- 
uated or of feeble or delicate constitutions, the intervals 

214 



IN SEASON. 21 S 

between the periods are longer, and may extend over a 
year or more. 

All of which is conclusive evidence of the fact that the 
various systems of living bodies form a complete system, all 
parts of which are in such close sympathy that if one be- 
comes disturbed the others are more or less disturbed also. 
Consequently neither the reproductive, the digestive nor 
other systems can be in high health and vigor unless its 
associates are in the same happy condition. Now viewing 
this law from another direction, it is seen that unless the 
general health is good the various systems and functions 
of the body cannot be duly active, healthy and vigorous. 

Writers upon canine management have with singular 
unanimity maintained that mating should never occur 
before the second period, yet not a few breeders, whose 
opinions on this and kindred subjects are invested with 
the weight of intelligence and experience, are at variance 
with them, and these believe that in some instances at 
least it is justifiable at the first period. 

The usual argument against early mating and maternity 
is, that it arrests the growth and puts much too severe a 
strain upon the constitution yet immature and lacking in 
strength, resistant and reactive powers, thereby prejudi- 
cing the future of the victims, also the vitality of their 
offspring. 

Those who take opposite grounds, while acknowledging 
that early maternity arrests the growth, deny that it has 
any ill effects, constitutional or otherwise, and maintain that 
to induce it as early as possible is justifiable as a means of 
correcting certain irregularities of form. They reason, 
and rightly so in this instance, that the growth-modifying 
influence of maternity is more pronounced upon some 
parts of the structure than upon others, i.e. that " animals 
grow up and then grow down," or in other words, that the 



2l6 KENNEL SECRETS. 

legs grow the most rapidly at first, then the growth here 
lessens and the body and head in turn grow the fastest. 
Consequently they claim that if a bitch threatens to be 
"leggy" and " spindling," she should be bred at her first 
period. 

Before attempting to solve this problem there is a 
theory which finds ready acceptance among physiologists, 
and is sustained by the experience of many stock breeders, 
which should be duly considered. This is, that the breed- 
ing of immature animals is liable to arrest the develop- 
ment and prejudice the general health of the mothers, 
also increase the mortality of their offspring and predis- 
pose that offspring to barrenness and sterility. 

In other words, in accordance with this theory, in early 
breeding there is danger of permanent injury to the 
mother, deficiency on the part of the offspring — as impair- 
ment of constitutional vigor and special predisposition to 
attacks of disease — and that offspring is liable to be 
less fertile, this latter defect being inherited from the 
mother, who these theorists maintain is less fecund 
while yet immature than she will be after reaching 
maturity. 

That statistics show that women under the age of 
twenty are less productive than those between the ages 
of twenty and thirty is a fact. That offspring of mothers 
while yet immature and less fecund are liable to inherit a 
tendency to lessened fertility is not at all unreasonable. 
Many authorities in stock-breeding are very ready to 
accept that early breeding has the effects stated on the 
lower order of animals, and they evidently find ample sup- 
port in the experience of intelligent breeders. 

Considering all this, also that there is no reason for 
believing that bitches are notable exceptions to other 
domesticated animals and beyond the plainly evident laws 



IN SEASON. 217 

relating- to early maternity which are so prevalent, more- 
over, that his experience in breeding has convinced him 
that bitches and their offspring are liable to the same ill 
effects of this practice as other animals, — although thev 
may not be as marked as with some species, — the writer 
holds that considering this question fairly and from the 
standpoint of health alone, the inevitable conclusion must 
be that no bitch ought to be mated before she has reached 
full growth. 

Those who advocate breeding at the first period do not, 
however, consider the question from this standpoint, but as 
one of expediency ; and taking the same liberal view of it, 
considering, also, the extent to which their theory is 
practised, one naturally hesitates to assert that they are 
absolutely wrong. And, certainly, they have some sup- 
port in the fact that while maternity will arrest the up- 
ward growth of bitches it will not have the same decided 
effect upon the growth of their bodies ; and if one threat- 
ens to shoot up too high on her legs she will likely under 
its influence settle down and assume rather better shape 
than she would had nature not been interfered with. 

Fortunately this method of " shaping " is rarely ever 
applied excepting to a few small breeds in which the 
injuries of too early maternity are only comparatively 
slight, and it is easier to condone it since there exist 
standards which demand that certain varieties of dogs be 
unnaturally long in body and low on the legs. Moreover, 
it is simply natural for a breeder to prefer a symmetri- 
cally formed little bitch to a big one greatly out of pro- 
portion ; and there are not many who would allow the 
question of health to weigh very heavily could he stop a 
bitch from running up like a weed. 

This other view of the question certainly lessens the 
force of the arguments asfainst breedins: bitches at their 



2l8 KENNEL SECRETS. 

first season. Yet even now the conclusion must be that 
the custom is prejudicial, although, doubtless, the infinite 
majority of those who consider the matter will be ready 
to concede that it is sometimes justified as a remedial 
measure. 

If such is the acceptance and bitches are bred at their 
first season to correct threatened irregularities of form of 
the nature described, let the enfeebling influence of the 
remedy be kept in mind and every effort made to com- 
bat it by a generous diet, ample exercise in pure air, and 
other hygienic means. 

There are a few breeders possessed of the idea that to 
delay maternity one period merely will impair the func- 
tions of the breasts and render them less capable of secret- 
ing milk. It ought not to be necessary to say that this is 
a rank absurdity. Consider greyhounds, for instance, that 
are kept for coursing, they are not bred until they are sev- 
eral years old, yet they are usually free-milking mothers. 
But to discuss this fallacy is unnecessary, for cases which 
refute it are constantly occurring in the practice of all 
who breed extensively. 

As a matter of fact, instead of the secreting power of 
the breasts being prejudiced by delay it is really strength- 
ened by it- And here appears another reason for con- 
demning the practice of too early mating. The mammary 
glands are either under the direct influence of the repro- 
ductive organs or in close sympathy with them, and where 
those organs are lacking in development the secreting 
power of the breasts is lacking in corresponding degree. 
Consequently an immature mother cannot be as able sup- 
port as she who has been fully developed by age. 

The period of maturity varies greatly in different 
breeds, and while it is reached by some early in the sec- 
ond year, others are not fully matured until they have 



IN SEASON. 219 

entered the third year. The larger breeds are, as a rule, 
the last to mature, and but very few of them have done 
so before they are two years old, while many are still 
growing even at their thirtieth month. Yet there are 
toys, Italian greyhounds and Maltese terriers for instance, 
that are only a little in advance of the big ones, for they 
are not mature until two years old, and some are still 
developing several months afterward. Individuals also 
vary, and while a breed may generally have matured at 
the age of two years, oftentimes members are still on the 
way even when two and a half years old. 

In some bitches there is a slight change of demeanor 
as they are about to come in season, characterized by rest- 
lessness and an increased show of affection, but the 
earliest conclusive sign of that peculiar condition is a 
sanguineous discharge, which deepens in color during the 
first twenty-four or forty-eight hours, when it lightens a 
little and usually becomes bright red and of the consist- 
ency of blood that has been several times diluted. This 
generally persists with but little variation, except it may 
be of darker color in some instances, for five or six days, 
when the color begins to fade, and by the tenth or 
eleventh day from its first appearance the discharge has 
merely a slight reddish tinge, which generally entirely 
disappears in the course of a day or two. 

The mucous membrane lining the passage from which 
this issues is invariably more or less congested and red- 
dened. In many cases, also, there is considerable swell- 
ing or puffiness of the outer parts ; and this is the rule 
with young bitches, but with those that have borne several 
litters there is generally a little less swelling than at the 
first season, while in occasional instances it is so slight it 
might easily escape notice. 

When the swelling is present it remains hard and tense 



220 KENNEL SECRETS. 

for about a week, after which it gradually softens, as it 
were, and becomes much less resistant to the touch ; and 
usually it has entirely disappeared before the end of the 
second week. 

With such obvious signs it will doubtless seem to the 
inexperienced that where due care is used it must be well- 
nigh impossible for a bitch to pass through a " season " 
without her condition being discovered, yet were these 
alone relied upon such mishaps might occur provided the 
swelling was only slight, for the discharge might be scanty, 
in which instance detection would not be so very easy, or 
it might be moderately profuse and still not appear on ex- 
amination because of having been shortly before washed 
away by the excretions from the kidneys. But unless a 
bitch is kept closely confined to her kennel and alone, the 
change in her demeanor, also the attraction she offers for 
dogs, must clearly indicate when this period is on. 

It usually extends over about three weeks, but only 
during a small part of it will the approach of the dog be 
permitted ; and the duration of this all-important period, 
while generally from four to seven days, sometimes longer, 
may in occasional cases be much shorter. And this fact 
the novice in breeding will do well to keep in mind. 

In this period, during which only is mating possible, 
the swelling is no longer hard but has softened greatly 
and is rapidly subsiding, or it may have disappeared 
entirely. The discharge is now but slightly tinged with 
blood or is quite colorless, and there is a decided disposi- 
tion exhibited to court the society of others of her kind, 
in the presence of which very often her tail is lifted and 
carried to one side. 

The practical conclusions to be drawn from this are, 
that the several stages of season vary not only in the dif- 
ferent breeds but in members of the same breed, and 



m" S 





3 




IN SEASON. 221 

while some bitches will not permit the approach of the 
dog, or in other words are not " ready," before the end of 
the second week, others have reached this most important 
stage by the end of the first week. Moreover, that while 
as a rule bitches remain for several days in a state when 
to mate is possible, in some cases this period scarcely 
extends beyond a day. 

Most bitches can be mated about the twelfth day, but 
in occasional instances they are ready on the sixth or 
seventh, while in others mating is impossible before 
the fourteenth or iifteenth day. And these peculiarities 
are not constant, for the same bitch at one season may be 
ready in the beginning of the second week, and yet at her 
next this essential condition be delayed until a much later 
day. 

Obviously no rule can be fixed which will meet all cases, 
and the only safe course to pursue after a bitch comes in 
season is to note each day the condition of her discharge 
and admit the dog when it has lost most of its redness. 
Some writers, by the way, advise waiting until the redness 
has entirely disappeared, and to this no objection can be 
offered where the handlers are experienced and the bitches 
old acquaintances, but for tyros, or even masters with 
strange subjects, to delay until such complete change in 
the discharge has occurred would be decidedly ha,zardous 
— a statement which doubtless many who recall their ear- 
liest attempts at breeding will fully indorse. 

A bitch may act shyly at first in the presence of the 
dog, but if ready she will generally soon give evidence of 
the fact by frisking about him, assuming peculiar attitudes 
and very likely jumping upon him.. If, however, she 
growls and snaps when he approaches, and persists in 
doing this for about ten minutes, he should be removed, 
to be returned on the following day. And it is well to 



222 KENNEL SECRETS. 

add that the custom of turning the two into a yard and 
leaving them together for some hours is thoroughly wrong 
and a cruelty to both. 

Where this test cannot be applied because the mating 
must occur at a considerable distance, it is wise to ship 
the bitch to the kennels of the dog soon after the first 
signs of season have appeared, lest it prove one of those 
instances in which the mating period is very short. 

Here intrudes a fact which, while of no great importance, 
is worth recording, namely, that bitches that have been 
successfully served have generally seemed to go out of 
season more quickly than those in which the service was 
unsuccessful. And in the experience of the writer this 
has been quite constant in bitches that have passed the 
third or fourth year and were mated at every period, while 
the most notable exceptions were bitches that had been 
allowed to " go by " one or more periods, or where for 
causes unappreciable the intervals had been much longer 
than usual. For instance, in one case for several periods 
at which successful service occurred the bitch went out of 
season by the third day, then a year and a half passed 
without her coming in, and when she did so she remained in 
season for eight days and was mated on every alternate 
day. The services, however, proved unsuccessful. 

Perhaps it is sentiment merely that leads to the sugges- 
tion that two perfect strangers be permitted to become 
somewhat acquainted before they are put into the same 
enclosure. And if allowed to run for a short time in ad- 
joining yards, separated by a picket fence, the strange- 
ness for the visitor — the one deserving the greatest 
consideration — will soon wear off and subsequently the 
desired result will be more easily attained, especially if 
she is of nervous and timid nature. 

How many " services " are required ? One only if 




MR. J. OTIS FELLOWS. 
HORNELLSVILLE, N.Y. 



IN SEASON 223 

complete, although breeders, with but few exceptions, 
favor a second, after an interval of two days. The prac- 
tice of their theory is open to one objection only, namely, 
the hardship that it entails upon the dog, whose vitality 
must inevitably be greatly exhausted if too frequent demands 
are made upon him. 

The position has been taken in the foregoing that bitches 
are guided by nature in their conduct with the dog and 
resent his overtures at all times except when in season 
and in the favorable stage. This is the rule and exceptions 
to it are exceedingly rare, but still, that they do occur is a 
fact beyond dispute, for cases are on record in which the 
services took place between the periods of season ; and 
several of the bitches were in pup, while one was in her 
last week before whelping. 

At this point the writer is reminded of the extremely 
prevalent idea that unless the dog and bitch are tied 
the service cannot be productive. Now, while this condi- 
tion can be accepted as positive evidence of a successful 
service, and in its absence success may well be doubted, 
it does not follow that in every case where speedy separa- 
tion occurs failure is inevitable ; and as a matter of fact a 
number of instances are known in which such assumed 
failures proved eminent successes, the testimony being in 
one of them a litter of fourteen puppies. On the other 
hand, the fact that tying occurs and to all appearances the 
dog is perfectly sound is not proof that he is capable of 
getting puppies. 

Notwithstanding these exceptions, however, with which 
it is well to be familiar, the condition in question should 
be held highly essential, and where one dog fails to attain 
it another should be tried if possible. But in the absence 
of a resource, if the appearance and behavior of the dog 
indicate that tying only has been wanting, the case should 



224 KENNEL SECRETS. 

not be considered hopeless, although the chances are very 
many indeed that it will prove so. 

High health and vigor are of infinite importance in both 
subjects of a union, otherwise the offspring must very 
generally be more or less wanting in health and vigor at 
birth ; and where the constitutional defects are pronounced 
in either the sire or dam, not only do the puppies re- 
quire the most intelligent and painstaking management, 
but even when this is afforded and they live they seldom 
thrive and develop into good specimens of their breeds. 

Not unnaturally, the offspring of show winners are in 
the greatest demand, and these are notoriously the most 
unsound constitutionally, because of the treatment that is 
often inflicted to bring them into condition, the hardships 
inseparable from long journeys and shows, and the ex- 
cesses that the dogs are obliged to undergo to meet the 
demands in their own kennels and of admiring patrons. 

A notion which is quite generally accepted and con- 
tributes much to failures in breeding is, that notwithstand- 
ing one of the subjects of a union is much below the 
standard of health if the other is sound and vigorous the 
offspring will be strong and hardy. Such a happy result 
is not at all likely, for even were the constitutional infir- 
mities themselves, of the sire or dam not transmitted, there 
must be, almost invariably, passed on to the offspring at 
least a predisposition to those infirmities ; or, in other 
words, the puppies if not absolutely weakly must be spe- 
cially liable to have, some time in their lives, the disease 
and weaknesses of their parents. 

Of course a bitch of somewhat doubtful constitution 
might prove a success if always bred to dogs that pos- 
sessed high health and vigor in an eminent degree, yet 
were her infirmities pronounced, or she was the victim of 
transmissible disease, then, certainly, she would be unfit 
for breeding purposes. 



IN SEASON. 225 

Should bitches be bred at every season ? Upon this 
question, also, breeders are at variance, and while some 
contend that it is an injurious practice and one which must 
inevitably undermine the strongest constitution, others as 
stoutly maintain that they have never detected evidences 
of ill effects from it. 

To sustain them in their position the first class rely 
mainly on the fact that bitches of sporting varieties lose 
speed after being bred often, .and they claim that there is 
also a loss of vigor. The other class acknowledge that 
speed is lessened in breeding, but they point to the fact 
that great speed, in the greyhound for instance, is out of 
the question after breeding once only, and they are not 
ready to accept that this loss is any evidence of impair- 
ment of vigor. 

In cases in which abnormalities exist, beyond doubt 
animals are sometimes improved in health by carrying 
young, but as a rule gestation and nursing must tax the 
energies of the system. And while the lost vigor is 
doubtless very often restored, it is certainly not restored 
in all cases. And whether or not the loss is permanent 
depends much upon the existing conditions. For instance, 
a bitch allowed entire liberty, fed rightly and kept under 
good hygienic influences, might be bred at every season 
without loss of constitutional vigor, whereas another con- 
fined much to kennels and fed as dogs so placed are gen- 
erally fed would scarcely be so fortunate. In truth, many 
bitches living under such poor conditions and bred at 
every season present symptoms that can only be inter- 
preted as evidences of decline. And in the most pro- 
nounced cases these are a lack of natural excitability and 
buoyancy of spirit, tendency to sluggishness rather than 
activity; and of those that have borne several large litters 
not a few are weak in loins and settled in the back. 



226 KENNEL SECRETS. 

Beyond doubt, considering them as a whole, and how 
they are usually fed and otherwise cared for, were it the 
rule to breed only at alternate periods, bitches generally 
would be better for it, and they would have healthier 
puppies. But assuming that the bitch is of large size and 
not mature before she is two and a half years old, she 
would not likely breed much after her sixth year, or if she 
did her litters- would be very small. Consequently she 
would have only about four good litters ; and but few 
breeders would consider her a profitable investment. 

Those viewing this matter fairly must be ready to ac- 
cept that he who considers only the welfare of his bitch 
will allow her to go by occasionally, while he who values 
his very largely for her produce and the income she yields 
will breed her as often as he can. But all can be assured 
that unless bitches are well cared for in every way they 
cannot be bred at every season and retain full health and 
vigor. 

Here the writer is reminded of that ancient absurdity, 
which long ago ought to have been swept from the minds 
of breeders, that puppies of the first litter must necessarily 
be less strong and healthy than those of subsequent litters. 
As a matter of fact, all conditions being favorable, the 
first puppies are likely to be a trifle the best, provided 
always their mother had fully matured before she was 
bred. And the reason for this statement, which must 
surprise some, is, that considering the care given the 
average mother, her subsequent confinement to small 
quarters, and other abuses so often inflicted upon her, she 
would, as a rule, be in better health and vigor in her third 
year of life than ever afterward. Moreover, the younger 
the dam — -provided, again, that she is mature — -not only 
the better and stronger her puppies but the larger her 
litters. Beyond all this, there have been cases where 



BULL DOGS. 





iLLWis Kennels' Harper." Illwis Kennels' Graven Image." 




_.Ji 



Mr. a. J. Smith's His Lordship." Illwis Kennels' King Lud. 




Mr. C. F. W. Jackson's Holy Terror." Mr. J. E. Thayer's Britomartis. 



IN SEASON. 227 

bitches never bred good ones after their first litters, and 
all puppies in those litters were grand. 

Another important fact of which many breeders are un- 
mindful is, that bitches must not be allowed to become too 
fat, for where there is a tendency in that direction there 
is usually a lack of constitutional vigor, an impairment of 
the milk-secreting glands and some loss of fertility. Take, 
for instance, a bitch that has been laying on too much fat 
during her second year ; the chances are that when she 
reaches maturity her procreative functions will be so lack- 
ing that it will be hard to breed her, or if successfully 
bred she will have small litters and poor puppies, also be 
deficient in milk, for too much fat during the growing 
stage means retarded development of the generative organs 
and lessened activity in the mammary glands. 

Now assume that the bitch which is much too fat had 
several litters before she became so. It will be hard to 
mate her, because the natural promptings which charac- 
terize the season have given place to almost complete 
indifference. Again, her generative organs are much less 
active than normal ; moreover, there are chances that they 
have undergone some fatty degeneration which impairs or 
entirely destroys their functional activity. Or if such is 
not the case and she is successfully bred, the litters or the 
puppies, or both, are quite certain to be small, because of 
impairment of vital energy and vigor of the reproductive 
powers, and not impossibly some mechanical obstruction 
exerted on the generative organs by the fat deposited on 
and near them. 

Some say a bitch can scarcely be too thin at the time 
of service if she is strong and healthy and free from worms, 
but she is nearest right, and her breeding powers are the 
most vigorous, when in the middle state — that is neither 
too fat nor too thin. 



228 KENNEL SECRETS. 

As for sterility from excessive fatness, wliere the i^'ener- 
ative organs have undergone fatty degeneration or other 
serious change a cure is out of the question. But short 
of that point improvement is likely to occur in many in- 
stances if a great amount of exercise is given, the quantity 
of starches is reduced or they are withheld altogether and 
the diet is made up largely of meat, and only such vege- 
table foods are allowed as grow above ground — as, for 
instance, spinach, dandelion and other greens, nettle tops, 
cabbages, etc. 

According to reports, copious bleeding has been tried 
in some cases, but while this treatment might overcome 
sterility when due to a plethoric condition of the system, 
or, in other words, where the victims had too much blood 
and there was great irritability of the organs of generation 
in consequence of local congestion or inflammation which 
interfered with their function, it is certainly not appro- 
priate for sterility from obesity, in which the constitution 
is impaired and must suffer a still greater loss of vigor 
with the depletion. 




CHAPTER III. 



BEFORE WHELPING. 



If a bitch has not been accustomed to free exercise, 
for at least two months before she is due in season she 
should be given a goodly amount of slow work every day ; 
and this treatment should be persisted in until she is 
nearly ready. From then on to the time when the wonted 
condition of things is restored she should be much at rest. 
And being deprived of her regular exercise, the usual pro- 
portion of meat allowed her should be considerably reduced 
and that of vegetable foods and bread, rice or other starches 
increased in corresponding degree. 

The service successful and the season past, thereafter 
and until the day of whelping the bitch should have con- 
stant liberty to exercise herself in her own way, and if the 
same is allowed, but not otherwise, she will likely not only 
acquire and retain high health and vigor but give birth to 
strong and healthy puppies. 

To emphasize this point too strongly would be simply 
imipossible, for a denial of ample exercise during gestation 
is one of the most frequent and potent causes of mortality 
among puppies, which sends them into the world so poor 

22g 



230 KENNEL SECRETS. 

in strength and vitality that their clays are numbered even 
from the first. But beyond the imperative necessity of 
exercise, which alone is all-sufficient reason for allowing 
bitches perfect freedom, there is another reason of very 
great moment, and this appears in the fact that when per- 
mitted to do so they will get at manure heaps and dig up 
and eat all sorts of stuff that they do not touch when not 
in whelp, thereby plainly showing that there is much that 
they need of which man as yet knows nothing. 

Of course there is some danger of infection by worms 
where such tendencies are gratified, but that goes out 
of sight in the presence of the many infinite advantages of 
entire liberty ; and it is again urged that this be allowed 
in ever)' case in which it is possible, and when absolutely 
impossible, the bitch in pup must be taken out for scampers 
or strolls on all favorable opportunities. 

To bring on labor prematurely simply by exercise is 
never easy in strong, health}' bitches as long as they go 
their own gait, as it were, and instances are numerous in 
which such have worked in the field to the day and almost 
the very hour of whelping without experiencing any un- 
pleasant results. Notwithstanding these, however, severe 
exercise, as in hunting, during the last two or three weeks 
of pregnancy, must be somewhat hazardous. 

As for working a bitch in whelp behind a horse, it is 
never wise, for the chances are many that she would over- 
exert herself. 

In these weeks special precautions are imperative against 
jumping fences and like violent exercise ; and external 
injuries must be carefully guarded against, for even a slight 
blow may prove destructive. 

If the bitch is kept in a yard, to preclude all possibility 
of her digging her way out is another essential precaution, 
for were she to do so during the last two weeks of gesta- 




Mr. S. E. Shirley's bull Dog, Sancho Panza." 




H. N. RICHARDS' BOSTON TERRIER, ROSSIE RICHARDS. 



BEFORE IVHELPEXG. 23 1 

tion, premature whelping might occur in consequence of 
tlie twisting and squeezing. And of all experiences likely 
to cause this accident there are but few more potent than 
fights — not so much because of such injuries as bruises 
and lacerations, but because of the great shocks inflicted 
upon the nervous and circulatory systems. 

While these precautions are imperative in every instance 
where signs indicative of pregnancy are present, they may 
properly be instituted in all cases, and persisted in un- 
til it is plainly evident that they are unnecessary, — the 
mating having been unsuccessful. And the reader who 
has yet to acquire an experience in breeding will do well 
to bear in mind the fact that doubtful cases are not infre- 
quent ; also, that in occasional instances it will be impossi- 
ble for him to determine with positive certainty before the 
end of the ninth week whether or not pregnancy exists. . ■ " 

The assertion has been made that in most bitches there 
occur changes in demeanor which are suggestive of preg- 
nancy, yet the writer has never been able to detect any of 
the slightest diagnostic importance, and in his experience 
the first sign of value is a modification in the size of the 
uterus. This is scarcely ever appreciable to the touch of 
a skilful examiner before the third week, and frequently 
difficulties are encountered which deny it to him until a 
much later period, while in the most favorable cases he 
who is inexperienced can scarcelv ever make out an en- 
larged uterus before the fourth week ; and verv generallv 
he finds it impossible to do so before the fifth or sixth 
week. 

To those unfamiliar with this means of diagnosis the 
earliest sign of value is an enlargement of the abdomen ; 
and this is generally manifested near the fifth week, al- 
though it may be delayed for a week or more, and it may 
even be unappreciable to the ordinary eye up to the date 



232 KENNEL SECRETS. 

of whelping. Cases, however, in which it does not appear 
are not very common, and many of the exceptional are 
bitches that have unusually large or very round abdomens 
or are carrying very small litters. In some, also, the en- 
largement is less marked and may even be unapparent 
because of the peculiar rib formation ; and of this class 
the greyhound family are the best illustration, for a diag- 
nosis of pregnancy in its members is, as a rule, the most 
difficult, and in many instances wl^ere there are only one 
or two puppies their presence can scarcely be detected 
until near the whelping, while in some it cannot be made 
out with certainty before the pains of labor have set in. 

Where abdominal enlargement occurs early it becomes 
steadily more pronounced until near the ninth week, and 
then for several days the increase in size appears to be 
much more rapid than before, owing to a settling down of 
the greatly distended uterus and a backward movement on 
its part. This settling having occurred, if all goes well 
whelping may be confidently expected within ten days. 
And he who watches the apparently backward progress of 
the uterus and the rapid enlargement at its neck — the 
most posterior part — can generally detect without the aid 
of any other signs when the last stage of gestation has 
been reached and whelping is imminent. 

In order to make the most of this sign the examiner 
should kneel behind the standing bitch and pass his 
hand between her legs to the abdomen. If she is of very 
large breed and at the beginning of the ninth week, when 
his wrist is between the legs and just below the outlet of 
the bowel he will feel with the tips of his fingers the pos- 
terior extremity of the uterus. On subsequent examina- 
tion this will be found to progress backward — approach 
him — to an appreciable extent each day ; and when at 
last it has gone as far as it can, whelping may be expected 
within twenty-four hours. 



BEFORE WHELPING. 233 

Beyond this sign there are others that indicate when 
the time of whelping is rapidly nearing. One of them is 
an enlargement of the breasts and the secretion of milk, 
and another the active movements of the puppies. During 
the ninth week these movements are generally perceptible 
to the eye through the abdominal walls when relaxed, as 
while the bitch is sleeping ; and they can be excited by 
gentle taps with the fingers and felt by the palm of the 
hand. 

But when a bitch is heavy with pups there is no mistak- 
mg the fact, hence it is unnecessary to dwell longer upon 
the characteristic signs. As for the early manifestations, 
as already stated, the earliest upon which any reliance can 
be placed is an increase in size and change in the shape of 
the uterus. In order to be able to detect this when it 
appears examinations of the abdomen should be made 
from time to time with deep pressure of the fingers, the 
subject meanwhile lying on her side or back, by which 
means some familiarity with the usual and non-pregnant 
conditions will be attained, and without which, of course, 
v5.riations could scarcely be made out. If, now, near the 
fourth week there can be felt a tumor — or in doubtful 
language a swelling — quite deeply within the abdomen, 
there is decided possibility that this tumor or swelling is 
the enlarging uterus. 

This evidence having been detected, if in the course of 
a week there is noticeable to the eye an increase in the 
size of the abdomen, the chances of pregnancy are de- 
cidedly good ; and as these changes generally quite 
speedily disappear or grow more pronounced, all existing 
doubts are usually dispelled in the course of ten days. 

But the inexperienced reader must bear in mind the 
fact touched upon in the foregoing, that some bitches go 
through the entire period of gestation without presenting 



234 



KENNEL SECRETS. 



a sino-le sign of pregnancy appreciable to the ordinary 
observer. Yet, as already stated, these cases are compar- 
atively rare and not likely to occur often in the experience 
of one who is familiar with the important signs herein 
considered. At the same time he who doubts his ability 
to make a correct diagnosis, in the absence of an expe- 
rienced adviser, will do well to take the same precautions 
up to the end of the ninth week that he would in positive 

cases. 

Before leaving this part of the subject it is well to touch 
upon a few common notions in relation to it. One is, that 
the size of the abdominal enlargement is indicative of the 
size of the litter. While large puppies or a large number 
of puppies is the rule when the abdomen is greatly enlarged 
and settled down, yet the litter or the puppies, or both, 
may be small. 

Many breeders must have noticed instances in which 
were presented signs of pregnancy, as abdominal, uterine 
and breast enlargement, and secretion of milk, in the 
ninth week, but at the end of it no whelps appeared. In 
like cases there would be every reason for suspecting that 
the puppies were either prematurely born dead and de- 
posited in out-of-way places, or the whelping was normal 
and the offspring fell victims to the puppy-eating habit. 
And a discharge of blood for several days would be quite 
conclusive evidence that one of these misfortunes had 
occurred. 

But the presence of milk, while corroborative evidence 
in such cases as these, alone would be of no real signifi- 
cance, for many bitches that are not in whelp have milk at 
the ninth week from season. 

Returning to the essential management of the bitch in 
pup her diet must engage attention, for were she not fed 
generously and on nutritious foods it would be impossible 



BULL TERRIERS. 



* * 




1 



Tubby Hook Kennels' Carney 




Mr. John moorhead Jr.'s Streatham Monarch. 



BEFORE WHELPING. 235 

for her puppies to develop properly and have good vitality 
at birth. Manifestly her requirements in the way of 
structure-building materials are much greater now than 
when she had to meet merely the wear and tear on her 
own body, and as she finds these in very considerable 
amount and convenient state in animal substances only, 
assuredly she must have more of them in proportion than 
■ when not in pup. But mindful of the facts already given 
great prominence in chapters devoted to feeding, the in- 
crease of the daily amount of meat, the most serviceable of 
these substances, must be intelligent, for the same penal- 
ties are inflicted for excess now as before impregnation. 

In considering the use of this food the matter of prep- 
aration being of great importance can properly come first. 
Boiling is the common method of cooking, and against 
it nothing can be said if the water — broth — used in 
the operation is fed out with the meat, for then the most 
of the virtues of the food will have been saved, and espe- 
cially certain salts, extracted by the water during cooking, 
which the mother must have to pass on to her pup- 
pies. And that these salts are indispensable to healthy 
osseous growth the following experiment has clearly 
demonstrated : — 

A well-known German physician selected a medium- 
sized, strong, healthy bitch, and after she had been mated 
he fed her on finely chopped horse-meat from which the 
salts were to a large extent extracted by boiling for two 
hours in distilled water. In addition to this she was given 
each day a certain quantity of tried fat. As drink she 
had only distilled water. She gave birth to six healthy 
puppies, one of which was killed immediately, and its 
bones were found to be strong and well-built and free 
from abnormalities. The other puppies did not thrive, 
but rernained weak, and could scarcely walk at the end of 



236 KENNEL SECRETS. 

a month, when four died from excessive feebleness ; and 
the sixth was killed two weeks later. The mother in the 
mean time had become very lean but was tolerably lively 
and had a fair appetite. She was killed one hundred and 
twenty-six days after the beginning of the experiment, 
and it was then found that the bones of her spine and 
pelvis were softened — a condition known to physicians 
as osteomalacia. 

The results of this experiment are highly interesting 
and instructive, showing clearly as they do that the nurs- 
ing mother sends out to her young, in her milk, a part of 
her store of lime, which is absolutely essential to their 
welfare. They show, also, that if proper food is denied 
her when in whelp and wKile nursing, not only her pup- 
pies but she as well must suffer greatly in consequence. 
And in the light of these facts is uncovered one of the 
most potential causes of rickets so common among large 
breeds. 

It may therefore be accepted that bitches in pup must 
have goodly quantities of meat ; moreover, that while 
cooking may be the rule if the broth is utilized, it is a 
wise plan to give this food occasionally in the raw state. 

In advising this the writer is fully alive to the fact that 
he is running counter to a strong prejudice that exists 
among no small number of breeders, who maintain that 
raw meat will cause a loss of the puppies. Such theory, 
however, is opposed to reason ; furthermore, experience 
long ago showed its absurdity. And another product of 
experience is, that to withhold raw meat entirely must 
greatly intensify the danger of a loss of the offspring 
through the puppy-eating habit. 

No lengthy consideration of the relative proportions of 
meat and vegetable and starchy foods required by bitches 
in pup will be necessary here, for the laws by which they 



BULL TERRtERS. 




Mr. S. E. SHIRLEY'S Nelson.' 




Mr. F. F. DOLE'S Edgewood Wonder. 




Sir Wm. Verner's Tarquin. 



BEFORE WHELPING. 237 

must be regulated are practically the same as those in 
force when young are not being carried. And although 
a larger proportion of that important animal food is 
demanded it cannot safely be allowed unless the con- 
ditions are right. Or, in other words, the increase must 
be attended by an increase, in corresponding degree, of 
the amount of exercise. And, manifestly, were the first 
requirement met and its associate neglected the blood of 
the bitches would become heated up and in consequence 
they would have skin eruptions from which they must 
suffer great annoyance, whereas at such trying times they 
should be not only healthy but undisturbed and restful. 
Moreover, did any such affections due to internal causes 
exist during the period of gestation they would be either 
transmitted directly to the offspring, or there would be 
created in them a predisposition or special liability to the 
same disorders. 

The giving of bone-meal in the food has been advised 
by many writers to supply material for the bones of the 
puppies in titero and prevent the accident — softening and 
decay of the bony structure of the mother — noted by the 
German physician whose experiment has been described. 
This meal, however, is of doubtful value as a preventive, 
for it undergoes only slight solution in the intestinal 
canal, but to give the precipitated phosphate of lime — 
a product of bones — during the period in whelp is advisa- 
ble, especially to large breeds, the offspring of which in 
these days are notoriously "deficient in bone" and sin- 
gularly liable to suffer from rickets. 

This agent, which is a white powder and odorless and 
tasteless, should be given once daily with the food during 
the first month of gestation, and twice daily from then 
on until the puppies have been weaned. The dose usually 
advisable for the largest varieties is an even teaspoonful, 



238 KENNEL SECRETS. 

but this can safely and wisely be increased during the 
last month before whelping if the litter promises to be 
very large, in which event the demand upon the mother 
for bone material must be unusually great. 

Some further modifications in the dietetic regimen will 
generally be necessary with her who is carrying young. 
If she has been habituated to one meal a day and that at 
night, shortly after mating the custom of feeding her in 
the morning should be commenced. The breakfasts, light 
at first, should be quite generous through the month 
preceding the whelping, and they can properly consist 
largely of milk thickened with bread or some of the other 
starches ; and he is wise who frequently adds one or two 
raw eggs. During the last two or three weeks a moderate 
lunch, made up of milk, will be highly appropriate, nor 
will it be necessary to thicken it with other foods. But 
let it be borne in mind that the increase in the quantity of 
food and number of meals should be made cautiously lest 
over-feeding occur and the appetite be impaired. 

If a mother is free from worms at the timiC of whelping 
her puppies will be much less likely to suffer from these 
pests during the earliest months of life ; hence a mild 
vermifuge can wisely be given about the sixth week after 
mating. But this treatment should not be delayed until 
the last week before whelping, as some have advised, for 
obviously the straining induced by the cathartics which 
must follow them might bring on labor prematurely. 

As for the vermifuge to be employed, areca nut is one 
of the safest and most efficient. And when those to be 
treated are to remain and whelp in their usual quarters 
they should be temporarily removed to others while the 
agent is acting. 

Every expectant dam has a decided preference for the 
kennel which she has long occupied, and when expedient 



AIREDALE TERRIERS. 







tr 



Mr. H. M. Bryans' Cholmondeley briar." 




<*■ n 



Mr. S. Walker's Colne Crack. 



BEFORE WHELPING. 239 

she should be allowed to remain in it. If, however, she 
is housed with other dogs, or for any reason beyond this 
a change is necessary, it should be made soon after the 
seventh week, that she may become thoroughly accus- 
tomed to her new surroundings. Were she left to follow 
her own tendencies, when the eventful time came she 
would naturally seek some retired nook or corner, out of 
sight and hearing of her kind and possibly of man as well 
— a fact that should be given due weight in selecting her 
whelping quarters. But isolation must not be enforced 
thus early at the expense of contentment, and if she mani- 
fests signs of loneliness her kennel mate if she has one 
should continue with her and remain until she begins to 
busy herself about her bed. 

If she cannot be permitted to run at large during the 
day, as has been urged, it is imperative that she be taken 
out frequently and given gentle exercise. And appreciat- 
ing the dangers of physical strain, the careful owner will 
see to it that her enclosure is secure and she cannot 
possibly climb out of it ; also, that one side at least is so 
constructed that she will be able to look out without being 
obliged to stand on her hind legs. He will, moreover, 
dispense with the sleeping-bench and lay her bed on a 
platform made of smooth boards, and raised about two 
inches from the floor. 

When the conditions are normal whelping very gener- 
ally occurs on the sixty-third day after mating, yet varia- 
tions of one day, or even two days, either way are not 
uncommon and have no real significance. 

Two or three days before the eventful period is expected 
the whelping quarters should be thoroughly cleaned out 
and washed with boiling water, for the purpose of disin- 
fecting them and destroying all eggs of worms that may 
happen to be present. The bitch, also, should be treated 



240 KENNEL SECRETS. 

for like purposes before she is returned to them, and with 
precipitated sulphur, the same being freely rubbed into 
her coat, over her breasts, and in fact every part from the 
tip of her nose to the end of her tail. 

For bedding, perfectly clean, dry straw is the best 
where a platform of smooth boards is used. And, by the 
way, there should always be two or three platforms pro- 
vided, for then frequent change will be possible, and each 
one when removed can be washed off, disinfected and 
tlioroitghly dried in the sun before it is again required. 

On the subject of bed and bedding for whelping bitches 
much has been written which seems invested with unwar- 
rantable prejudice. Probably the kind of bedding most 
often used is a piece of carpeting, blanket or bagging, 
yet bitches rarely take kindly to such and almost always 
tear it up when they can do so, or scratch holes in it 
unless the material is unusually strong. And where this 
has been done puppies liave been many times caught in 
the folds and crushed by the mother. 

Some breeders use the untanned skins of beasts for 
bedding, while others prefer to have the whelping occur 
on^ dry, clean earth, because as they say it acts as a disin- 
fectant ; and these latter maintain that puppies do far 
better on a bed of this sort than on any other. But such 
claims are extravagant. If soil is dry it must get into the 
nose, eyes and ears of puppies and cause them much 
annoyance if not real harm, while if damp it means death 
to them — that is, if they are of the nature of well-bred 
dogs of to-day. Again, cleanliness, the best of such 
agents, is all in the way of disinfectants that is required 
at this time, and certainly under no other condition is it 
easier to maintain it than when the bed is a platform, 
which can be removed at once after whelping, and each 
day following if necessary, and the bedding is straw. 



BEFORE WHELPING. 24 1 

With not a few breeders the final preparatory measure 
is a dose of castor oil or other cathartic, which they give 
indiscriminately in every case on the day before whelping. 
This treatment has so many advocates it is necessary to 
urge that it is advisable only when severe constipation 
exists, also, that were it applied in instances where the 
discharges were soft or liquid it would not only be 
superfluous but somewhat hazardous, since it might cause 
diarrhoea in the puppies. And this would mq.xj likely 
happen were castor oil given, for a portion of its prin- 
ciple is absorbed and goes out with the milk. 

Boiled liver, which is also given for the same purpose, 
is open to even greater objections than castor oil or other 
medicinal cathartic, for its laxative action is attained only 
at the expense of digestion. Being exceedingly rich but 
few stomachs are capable of disposing of any considerable 
quantity, and given generously as a rule it generally proves 
too great a burden for them ; and they tiring after a time 
pass a goodly portion of it, while yet only partially 
digested, on to the intestines, where it acts as any foreign 
body would and sets up an irritation. After which 
diarrhoea, nature's method of freeing the bowels of 
troublesome matters, occurs, and it is several days before 
the integrity of the abused organs is restored. In the 
mean time the milk is more or less vitiated in consequence 
of the indigestion, and very generally causes a like disturb- 
ance in the nursing puppies, in which event they, also, 
suffer from colic and diarrhoea — symptoms that are sin- 
gularly fatal in the first weeks of life. 

In the highest order of animals constipation is a 
common affection during pregnancy, and the popular 
theory as to causation is that it is produced by pressure 
of the enlarging uterus on the upper part of the rectum, 
by which not only is its calibre. diminished but its action 



242 KENNEL SECRETS. 

paralyzed. A familiarity with this fact has doubtless led 
to the inference that constipation from the same cause 
must necessarily exist in bitches in pup and as urgently 
requires treatment. Yet no intimate knowledge of canine 
anatomy is necessary to detect its fallacy, and certainly 
experience tells that severe constipation is very rare in 

■pregnant bitches that are healthy and have been well 

' cared for. 

Therefore let the reader put away this frozen notion 
that the bowels of all about to whelp demand interference, 
and that delivery will be difficult unless they are emptied 
by artificial means. He can accept as a fact that only 
when they are impacted with dry, hard waste, or, in other 
words, only when very severe constipation exists will they 
obstruct the birth of the puppies ; also, that all ordinary 
accumulations will be readily expelled in the violent 
straining induced by the labor pains long before the 
first little one is sent into the world. He can accept, 
moreover, that no sound mother that is allowed ample 
exercise, is properly fed and has free access to good whole- 
some drinking water is likely to be troubled with consti- 
pation sufficient to retard labor. But should one so suffer, 
an injection of half a cupful of warm sweet oil or a pint 
of warm water is the only remedy he will be required 
to use. 




CHAPTER IV. 



TREATMENT OF THE MOTHER. 



Usually on the day before whelping, but in some cases 
a little earlier, there occurs a very noticeable change in 
the bitch, characterized by nervousness, occasional shiver- 
ing no matter how warm her quarters, dejection — as 
evident from her listless movements and the grieved and 
rather despondent expression of her eyes — and a disposi- 
tion to slink away when at liberty to do so, or a reluctance 
to come when called if in her kennel. She also manifests 
unwonted concern about her bedding, which she frequently 
scratches and tumbles about. 

These signs are produced by the first pains of labor, 
and when they appear the chances are that if all is well 
the whelping will begin within twenty-four hours. 

The disposition to steal away to a retired corner has 
been accepted by some as a singular impression pro- 
duced by parturition, and unmistakable evidence that the 
bitch urgently desires solitude while it is occurring, con- 
sequently they reason that she should be isolated and left 
entirely alone until it is over. But as a matter of fact it 

243 



244 KENNEL SECRETS. 

is not an instinctive tendency peculiar to this act, for it is 
often exhibited in other experiences, and especially those 
of a painful nature. For instance, dogs when suffering 
from colic are very apt to secrete themselves in out-of-way 
places and there remain until the pain has subsided, even 
if the happy event is delayed for many hours. 

The reason for this is problematical, but to the careful 
and experienced observer it must seem as though the dis- 
position was the product of several influences, including 
primarily the pain and the same fortitude and patience, 
but in higher degree, which sustain some members of 
the human family while suffering intensely, and prompt 
them to suppress as far as possible the outward tokens 
of the affliction. It would seem to be tinctured also 
with reproach, — which would not be unnatural where 
prompt relief was not afforded, — for it is seldom mani- 
fested before the pain has been on for several hours, 
during which period the victims if house pets generally 
manifest their distress by occasional whinings, appeals to 
be taken up, etc., and as plainly beg that something be 
done to alleviate it. 

If this assumption is correct — and certainly there is 
nothing improbable in it — the special rule to leave bitches 
absolutely or even much to themselves while whelping 
will not admit of wide application. Nor is its basis, the 
original instinctive tendency of the bitch, a sound one, for 
although in her wild state she naturally sought secluded 
places that her young might remain concealed and out of 
the way of harm, this fear for their safety must have been 
greatly lessened by domestication — an influence far more 
potent than is generally appreciated. 

Some bitches, of course, are less deeply impressed by 
this influence than others, for the reason that from their 
earliest days they have been confined much to kennels, 




MR. AUGUST BELMONT 
New York. 



TREATMENT OF THE MOTHER. 245 

and in these the old tendency to hide themselves when 
about to whelp must be still quite strong, yet it can 
scarcely be strong enough to resist kindness and sympathy 
when judiciously tendered; while in the majority of their 
kind that have been humanely treated it must be well-nigh 
extinct, at least towards those to whom they are accus- 
tomed and affectionately inclined. 

Bearing upon this point the experience of the writer 
may be of interest to the average reader. Between his 
apartments and those of his men there is a large room to 
which with only rare expections his brood animals were 
transferred a few days before the time for them to whelp, 
to afford him ample opportunity for observation and proper 
treatment ; and although many have been temporarily 
quartered there, in not a single instance has he noted a 
sign indicating that the change was not acceptable ; nor 
where the attendants showed due solicitude was there 
exhibited the slightest trace of a disposition to slink away. 

Hence he naturally holds to the belief that the hard 
and fast rule to shut in bitches when their whelpings 
begin, and leave them alone until all is over, is extravagant 
and inoperative in many instances, while there are good 
and sufificient reasons why oftentimes they should have 
the companionship of some one whom they care for if it 
can be afforded. 

One of these reasons hits the pocket, and as it is the 
most weighty with many it is given first place. Bitches 
of large size should be watched during whelping to pre- 
vent them from crushing their puppies, for this accident 
is almost sure to happen unless the mothers are of very 
small and light bodies. The other pronounced reason 
has appeared in the foregoing, namely, that bitches will in. 
many instances crave sympathy, and if they do so they 
should have abundant expressions of it, and be rubbed, 



246 KENNEL SECRETS. 

soothed and encouraged if such treatment seems grateful 
to them. 

While companionship at this eventful time is advo- 
cated, the fact is kept m sight that in some instances 
bitches urgently desire to be alone, and do better when 
so ; and if this disposition is plainly evident the breeder 
has really no choice. Yet with bitches of the largest 
size, at least, he should satisfy himself beyond all doubt 
that to intrude would be decidedly hazardous for them ; 
and if he exhibits tact he will only rarely find such to be 
the case, but after a short time the sufferers will give un- 
mistakable evidence that they appreciate his solicitude 
and are grateful for his attentions. 

Of course, there are not a few breeders who give them- 
selves no concern during the whelping period and yet have 
good success, but probably with scarcely an exception 
theirs are brood animals of small or medium size, for 
surely no one could successfully breed the large varieties 
in this convenient way. And all whose first experience is 
before them may accept that for mastiffs, St. Bernards 
and the like, the most painstaking methods of manage- 
ment are required, especially during whelping and with 
the puppies until long after weaning ; consequently they 
who have but little time to devote to their dogs should 
choose much smaller varieties. 

Obviously the attendants at whelping should be persons 
to whom the bitches are deeply attached, for in some 
instances they are very nervous indeed, and at such times 
are generally beyond the influences of all but their best 
friends. 

For this condition, by the way, nervines have been rec- 

. ommended by some, but they are simply valueless as long 

as the cause of the nervousness exists, and to pet, soothe 

and encourage is the only treatment that can have any 



FOX TERRIERS. 




Mr C. E. Hopgood's Wire-haired, Valuer. 




Messrs. R, AND C. G. Vicary's Venio." Mr. John E. Thayer's Raby Mixer. 




MR.C. STEDMAN HANKS' GROUSE II. 



TREATMENT OF THE MOTHER. 247 

appreciable effect ; and the same judiciously applied will 
soon stimulate that fortitude which is so marvellously great 
in the canine race and do much to restore the nervous 
system to its wonted balance. 

The nervousness may, however, be carried to maniacal 
.delirium, during which bitches are entirely beyond control 
and it is extremely dangerous to interfere with them. 
Yet they are never likely to do harm if left entirely to 
themselves. And such attacks are fortunately very rare 
indeed, and seldom occur except when the whelping is 
protracted and the suffering intense. Nor do they often 
last long, but are generally over within two or three min- 
utes. This was about the duration of one which the 
writer witnessed, and in that instance the victim evidently 
saw a spectre of another dog intruding, for she suddenly, 
and without any premonitory sign, dashed to the door, 
growling and biting as though engaged in a fierce fight. 
But after the short period stated she recovered herself 
and went back to her bed, evidently perfectly sane. 

Leaving the vexed question of attendance and going 
deeper into the essential treatment of the mother during 
and immediately after whelping, methods will be advised 
which the writer has invariably employed in breeding sev- 
eral varieties of dogs, with the largest at one end of the 
line and toys at the other. They will be alike applicable 
to all bitches, but of infinite importance with the largest 
varieties ; and although some of them may seem based on 
sentiment and wanting in weight, not a single one will 
appear that does not influence success. 

Consequently, he who breeds should apply them all. 
But there are many breeding in a small way who are 
forced to be at business during the day, and it is only 
right to consider herein how they may make the best of 
their opportunities. 



248 KENNEL SECRETS. 

If a bitch seems to favor a certain place for whelping 
and its conditions are quite favorable — that is, it is easily 
accessible, snug, warm and otherwise healthy — her choice 
should be accepted, for there she will feel more contented. 
But in absence of any decided preference she should be 
put into a clean, comfortable room or pen — never a box 
which will not easily admit her owner — with a floor space 
so ample and a platform so large that she can work herself 
around her puppies on all sides. 

As the degree of liability of a bitch lying on her pup- 
pies depends very greatly upon the size of her platform it 
should always be large enough to accommodate several 
like herself. And this provision seems the only one 
which promises much in the way of prevention, although 
some breeders think that the danger can be still further 
lessened by using the means which is so commonly 
employed with swine, namely, a strip of board, from 
four to six inches in width, around the room at just the 
height of the bitch's back when lying down. 

This would keep her out from the walls, and if a puppy 
happened to be caught under her it would have a chance 
to reach the space beneath the ledge and escape. Yet 
while this device has undoubtedly some advantages, 
whether or not it is well to resort to it is an open ques- 
tion. The ledge must be very low or the bitch would try 
her best to squeeze under it. And if she could not do so 
she would be liable to fret, fearing some of her puppies 
were away from her ; and every time she got up to hunt 
for them the chances of her getting on them would be 
much increased. Thus one might intensify the danger of 
the accident in trying to prevent it. 

Her bed made up and the bitch provided with a vessel 
of clean, fresh, cold water, and a pan of milk, — with a 
piece of ice in it if the weather is hot, lest it sour before 



TREATMENT OF THE MOTHER. 249 

night, — if her owner must leave her to herself he can go 
away feeling that he has done about everything possible 
to anticipate her wants. 

And now to consider in detail the treatment which 
when possible should be given the mother and her pup- 
pies at the time of whelping. 

Unless the weather is uniformly mild, at this eventful 
period and for several weeks after it she should be quar- 
tered in a room furnished with ample means for heating, 
and for twenty-four hours at least its temperature must 
not fall below 75° Fahr. ; while during the whelping and 
until all the puppies are thoroughly dried and warm it 
ought not to be below 80°. 

Each puppy is born in a bag, which consists of a 
smooth, glistening and usually very thin membrane, and 
contains more or less watery fluid known as the amniotic 
liquor. This bag, while sometimes ruptured during labor, 
is as a rule expelled intact, and when so the mother at 
once proceeds to tear it open with her teeth. Having 
succeeded she licks the little one for a minute or two — • 
which treatment acts as a stimulant and excites vigorous 
movement — and then somewhat leisurely bites off the 
so-called umbilical cord, one end of which is attached to 
the middle of the puppy's abdomen, and the other to what 
is known as the after-birth, a mass that looks not unlike 
a large clot of dark blood. The cord bitten off, she 
pushes the puppy with her nose around to a more con- 
venient situation, continues to lick it for a time and 
finally snuggles it up, generally to her neck, or if there 
is a person in the room who she thinks may take it 
from her she usually endeavors to conceal it with her 
head. 

, Now follows a period of relief from pain, which may be 
short, not more than five minutes, or much longer, and 



250 KENNEL SECRETS. 

cover several hours. Half an hour, however, is probably 
not far from its average length ; and during the greater 
part of it the mother rests quietly and may even seem to 
sleep. Towards its close she gets up and unless inter- 
fered with eats the after-birth and membranes that consti- 
tuted the bag, and again lies down. The pain comes on, 
another puppy is born, and the routine described is again 
followed ; and so on to the end of the whelping. 

During these operations the attendant will occasionally 
be able to render valuable assistance, but he should never 
interfere as long as the mother is doing her work speedily 
and well ; and when he does so he should be gentle and 
easy in his movements yet act with firmness and without 
any hesitation. If her teeth are poor or she is " under- 
shot " — as in the case of bull-dogs, and quite often with 
mastiffs — it will not be easy for her to rupture the bags, 
and even having sound and well-placed teeth it may be 
difficult because of the unusual thickness of the mem- 
branes. Obviously, therefore, this part of her duty 
should be promptly met and the puppies quickly freed, 
otherwise they must soon drown in the water in which 
they are floating, or die from the want of air. 

Where the mother is at fault the remedy is easy, for 
the attendant has merely to tear open the bags by pinch- 
ing a side with his thumbs and forefingers ; or he can if 
he prefers use scissors or knife, which may be required 
when the membranes are very thick and resistant. 

The severing of the umbilical cord should be left to 
the mother when she can possible attend to the operation, 
for it contains blood-vessels that require just the treat- 
ment she administers, and were it cut by a sharp instru- 
ment at once after birth hemorrhage would occur. But 
if she fails in this work it should be done by the attend- 
ant, who should amputate the cord, by the means of scis- 



FOX TERRIERS. 




Mr. John e. Thayer's Starden's King. 




Mr. C. Rathbone's Beverwyck Punster.'' iolanthe kennels' Ripon Stormer. 




MESSRS. R. AND C. G. VICARY'S VESUVI EN N E. ' ' 



TREATMENT OF THE MOTHER. 25 1 

sors, about three inches from the puppy's abdomen. 
This operation can be performed with perfect safety five 
minutes after tlie little one is in the world, for circu- 
lation in the cord will then have ceased and the blood- 
vessels collapsed. 

With every birth the mother rises on her forelegs and 
twists herself to reach the new-comer, which she properly 
cares for and pushes around in front of her before she 
again lies down. It is in this act far oftener than in any 
other that she crushes her puppies, for although such 
contortion is never very easy even for bitches of light 
build, to those of short and ponderous bodies it evidently 
proves extremely tiresome, and although they invariably 
try to prevent it, not infrequently they fall back quite 
heavily as though exhausted. 

Considering which, also the disposition to snuggle the 
puppies as soon as they are born, obviously the accident 
in question must often happen unless they are removed 
out of harm's way. And this is always best with large 
breeds, which are never disturbed if the precaution is 
taken properly. The attendant has merely to provide a 
shallow basket, containing a piece of well-warmed flannel 
or blanket, and in this place the puppies as soon as the 
cords have been detached. They will now be kept warm, 
dry quickly and gain more speedily in vitality and strength 
than they would on the bed with the mother ; and if the 
basket is placed in front of her, where she can easily see 
into it while lying down, she will not be likely to show 
any concern over the interference. 

The whelping over, the mother will lie quietly for a 
short time, during which she should not be disturbed, but 
when she gets up voluntarily, all being in readiness, her 
platform and straw — now wet and soiled — should be 
removed, the floor hastily mopped and covered with saw- 



252 KENNEL SECRETS. 

dust where damp, and a dry platform and fresh, clean and 
dry bedding be put m. 

This done, and the soiled parts of the mother hastily 
sponged with warm water, as soon as she has lain down 
the puppies should be taken from the baskets and put to 
her breasts. They will generally require some assistance 
at first, and if so let it be rendered as follows : Take the 
puppy in the right hand, — its back to the palm, — the grasp 
being well forward so that the thumb and forefinger reach 
to the little one's mouth. Press them inward back of the 
jaws, and so open the mouth. Now with the thumb and 
forefinger of the other hand holding the nipple its insertion 
in the mouth will be easy. 

Oftentimes this duty will greatly tax the patience of the 
attendant, but he must persist in it until success is 
reached, for unless a puppy nurses well within the first 
two or three hours the chances are much against its liv- 
ing. But once it tugs vigorously it may be left to itself. 

All this having been faithfully done, the mother if of 
fairly small breed may be left for a time with her puppies 
cuddled up to her, provided her bed is well out from the 
walls of the room, for were it close to one of them, when 
she got up the little ones might move over and narrow 
the space between them and the wall, and choosing this 
always she would crowd herself into it and very likely 
crush some of them. If, however, she is of large breed, 
no matter how favorable her situation, she ought to be 
watched for the next twenty-four hours. 

This is the period of greatest danger, and after it the 
liability to the accident declines rapidly, but it only ceases 
when the puppies have become so strong that they can 
cry cat and make vigorous protest if the mother is on 
them. 

Aside from this danger there is yet another that is 



FOX TERRIERS. 





BELGRAVE Joe," in his isth.veah. 




Old Trap. 




TREATMENT OE THE MOTHER. 253 

occasionally threatened and makes watching advisable, 
especially with all that are mothers for the first time, 
namely, the puppy-eating tendency, which is very strong 
in some bitches, and beyond doubt can very generally be 
attributed to the deprivation of meat, although now and 
then it seems due to love, fear or other passion the true 
nature of which it is hard to determine. 

The influence of the first as a cause has been clearly 
demonstrated in a large number of cases in which the 
deplorable tendency was entirely cured by feeding gen- 
erously on meat during the period of gestation; while 
that it can be excited by the passions is evident from the 
following instance related by a well-known breeder. 

A bitch that had never before shown any such tendency 
gave whelp to seven puppies — in color, six black and one 
red. Being a great pet the members of the family visited 
her often and made much of her little ones, until at last 
she ate all the black ones. 

Certainly into this case the question of diet did not enter, 
for meat had been its principal ingredient from puppy- 
hood, her owner being strongly prejudiced against all 
other foods, and it is reasonable to assume that love or 
fear lead her to do as she did. 

In evidence that other passions than these may possibly 
cause bitches to eat puppies the writer records an in- 
stance that occurred in his kennels. A bitch had a litter 
of eleven puppies, six of which were taken from her and 
destroyed. One week later another of the same breed 
whelped and subsequently lost all but one of her puppies, 
largely in consequence of neglect on the part of the 
kennelman, who failed to detect that she had but little 
milk. The facts of the case being discovered the survivor 
was put to the breasts of the first ; and she resented what 
she evidently considered an imposition by eating the 



254 KENNEL SECRETS. 

intruder as soon as he was left alone with her, notwith- 
standing he was then three days old. And although she 
afterwards had four litters during the time she remained 
in the kennels this is the only instance in which she was 
guilty of such an act. 

When bitches have been fed generously on meat during 
gestation the chances are many against their eating their 
puppies; but still, all will bear watching during the first 
twelve hours at least, and then those that have never ex- 
hibited the tendency with previous litters can be consid- 
ered quite safe from it. But a bitch once guilty should 
be held in suspicion until the second day. 

It is well to add that many breeders are strong in 
the belief that once this habit is indulged it will persist 
and the victim of it be ever afterward worthless for breed- 
ing purposes. This, however, is a mere notion, for the 
tendency can be overcome by a meat diet and careful 
watching, and if one litter is saved the subsequent litter 
will generally escape, the habit having been cured by 
the break. 

Surveillance over the mother during the first hours 
after whelping should be as quietly enforced as possible, 
otherwise it must be irksome and perhaps disturb her 
greatly ; and instead of remaining in the quarters the 
attendant will do well to make seemingly a casual visit 
occasionally, or have a peep-hole through which without 
being seen or heard he can observe how affairs are going 
on within. And when visiting her he must not break in 
upon her suddenly, but as he nears her quarters he should 
walk slowly, call her by name, indulge in some kindly 
expression, and so prepare her for his coming. 

When a bitch has been alone during her whelping it is 
especially important that this course be pursued on the 
first visits whether her nature is amiable or otherwise, for 



TREATMENT OF THE MOTHER. 255 

at such times good dispositions are singularly liable to be 
perverted. It should be the rule, also, with all when they 
approach a mother to devote their entire attention to her 
at first, and not appear to notice her little ones until after 
her natural distrust has been dispelled and she is assured 
that she is of most importance. And when she has 
allowed the visitor to fondle her she will not object to his 
handling her puppies a bit if he is manifestly very careful 
in doing so. 

But the mother should not be interfered with nor her 
puppies handled excepting when it is absolutely necessary ; 
and above all from their birth and until the little ones are 
on their feet, and the novelty of the mother has entirely 
worn off, all others than the members of the family to 
whom she is most deeply attached should be excluded ; 
and visits from them even should be " few and far 
between " during the first week. 

As for strangers or mere acquaintances wjio may hap- 
pen to wish to see the recent arrivals, they should be 
impressed with the fact that bitches usually inoffensive 
and amiability itself are sometimes intensely ugly when 
with puppies ; consequently a visit by them might result 
disastrously. 

While a bitch is whelping there should always be at 
hand a vessel of cool, fresh water, and from this she will 
take a few swallows almost every time she gets up. 

If her labor is tedious and prolonged she must be given 
nourishment, and being but little if at all inclined to 
eat, milk will be the most acceptable and best at this 
time. 

During the first twenty-four hours after whelping a 
little nourishment should be given every four or five 
hours, and it should be of milk, every alternate feeding 
being thickened with bread crusts or well-boiled rice. Or 



256 KENNEL SECRETS. 

if milk does not seem agreeable, broths can be substituted 
and the same foods used for thickening. 

For the second day, three meals will be quite sufficient. 
And as early as this it is very generally safe to begin the 
use of solid foods, notwithstanding the popular notion 
that soups should be wholly relied upon in the first and 
largely during the second week. As a matter of fact, as 
generally prepared such products of meat are very rich, 
and if frequently given they disturb digestion and loosen 
the bowels. And these effects are singularly liable to be 
passed on to the puppies, through the milk, and they in 
consequence made to suffer from diarrhoea, which in them 
is usually attended with colic. Manifestly, therefore, 
these foods must be given cautiously ; and rarely are 
they allowable oftener than once daily; while if the 
intestinal discharges are liquid they should be withheld 
entirely. 

Milk may properly be the basis of the breakfasts, and 
it will be ample support if fortified by bread crusts, crack- 
ers, or dog cakes that have been crushed, soaked in cold 
water and then boiled for a time. 

As some breeders give their bitches very large quanti- 
ties of milk while on puppies, with the idea that it "makes 
milk," it is necessary to introduce a word of caution here 
and remind the reader that this food in very considerable 
quantities will often cause " acid stomach ; " and this 
digestive trouble in a nursing mother is quite likely 
to render her breast milk highly acid. Consequently, 
only moderate quantities of milk should be allowed at any 
one time, and it is advisable to add lime water to it, in the 
proportions of from one-half to two-thirds of a teacupful 
to every pint. 

Unless the discharges show that they are contra-indi- 
cated, broths can constitute the midday meals, provided 



TREATMENT OF THE MOTHER. 257 

they are thickened with bread, well-cooked rice, barley 
or other light starchy food, and at least one-fourth of the 
whole is meat. 

Another word of caution here. Beef trimmings and 
bones are very generally used for making soups or broths, 
and these, as a rule, contain much fat, which when cooked 
is somewhat of a tax upon the digestive organs of even 
sound dogs, and much too great a burden for bitches that 
have recently whelped. Moreover, this fat might cause 
excessive acidity of the breast milk. Consequently, in all 
instances the soups or broths should be allowed to stand 
until cold and then treated to a faithful skimming. 

The last feed of the day should be practically a solid 
one, and consist of finely chopped beef or mutton in the 
proportion of one-half ; while the other half should be 
made up of, say, one-third vegetables, one-third bread 
and one-third well-boiled rice or oatmeal. 

As broth is required to soften the starches it is neces- 
sary to cook the most of the meat, yet about twice a week 
a goodly proportion of this food may be in the raw state. 
For instance, instead of all being cooked, half of the meat 
given for supper can be raw ; but it must be finely minced, 
and with the two kinds should be mixed vegetables and 
starchy foods in the same proportion as when all the meat 
allowed is cooked. 

Meat is often withheld from members of the human 
family while they are liable to acute inflammations, as 
immediately after surgical operations, severe traumatic 
injuries, parturition, etc., and this fact has led some to 
assume that it should be given only sparingly, if at all, 
to bitches in the puerperal state, for fear of adding to the 
liability of fever. But analogical reasoning in this in- 
stance is clearly unsound, and it is a fixed fact that when 
a dog is weakened by disease, accident or other cause, as 



258 KENNEL SECRETS. 

long as his stomach can digest it no other food will give 
him such solid support as meat, or as quickly restore the 
vitality he has lost. Nor is there any other food which 
he can digest with greater ease at such times. Beyond 
this, puerperal fever is extremely rare among bitches, and 
scarcely ever occurs except in consequence of a dead 
puppy being retained in utero, severe mechanical injury 
or exposure to intense cold. 

All nursing mothers should be at liberty to go and 
come as they please, unless, of course, they are wanting 
in solicitude for the puppies. But they rarely are so, and 
in fact the majority must be urged to take gentle exer- 
cise at least during the first week. And such being the 
case, after her puppies are two or three days old the 
mother should be taken out and walked about near the 
house every morning and afternoon when the weather is 
mild and the ground dry. These outings should be made 
as enjoyable as possible that she may not be uneasy about 
her little ones ; and after the first week should she still 
apply herself too closely the amount of exercise should be 
gradually increased from day to day. 

A word further in regard to the after-birth, which, as 
already stated, is eaten by the mothers. Nature prompts 
them to dispose of it in this way ; but she seemingly 
ignores the changes in condition wrought by domes- 
tication. It is easy to understand why the untamed 
mother should have had this propensity, for in gratifying 
it she provided herself with nourishment sufficient to 
sustain her until the immediate effect of her painful ex- 
periences had passed off and she had recovered strength 
and was again able to hunt for food. But with ample 
nourishment at hand the tendency in question seems a 
perversion of the appetite, and it is safe to say that it can 
properly be obstructed if one cares to interfere. To the 



TREATMENT OF THE MOTHER. 



259 



writer this method of disposing of the after-birth is most 
repugnant ; therefore his rule has been to have it 
burned, and no ill effects have been noted in the mothers. 
But upon this point he fully realizes that he may be a 
victim of sentiment, hence refrains from advising. 





CHAPTER V. 



CARE OF THE NEW-BORN. 



Early spring is far the most favorable season for whelp- 
ing, since ere the youngsters have reached the weaning they 
can be put out of doors for a few hours at least on all pleas- 
ant days, where they are sure to gain in health, strength 
and vitality with infinitely greater rapidity than when be- 
tween walls. Breeders of long experience fully appreciate 
this fact, also, that where open and pure air and sunshine 
are denied during the early days of life the future is 
greatly prejudiced ; consequently they have a decided 
preference for those brood animals that come in use dur- 
ing the first three or four months of the year. And 
where the rule, fixed with some, to mate only in this 
period is observed, the puppies not only do not require 
such extreme care and attention but thrive infinitely bet- 
ter, while being far on the road to maturity they are well 
fortified against cold weather before it sets in. 

If warm, clean and well-ventilated quarters are provided 
it is, of course, possible to rear winter puppies, yet even 
in the presence of these conditions they scarcely ever do 
as well and develop into as hardy specimens as those much 

260 



CARE OF THE NEW-BORN. 26 1 

beyond walls ; and it can safely be accepted that the ex- 
ceptions are seldom met with among the largest and 
heaviest varieties, which are ever likely to prove flat fail- 
ures unless under the most healthful influences from the 
very first. 

In the fact that for several days they are very feeble 
and extremely sensitive to cold appears one of the first 
great dangers encountered by puppies born in inclement 
seasons ; hence the advice in the foregoing chapter, that 
during the whelping the temperature of the room be about 
80° Fahr. And this degree should be maintained until the 
little ones — very wet when they come into the world — 
have thoroughly dried and gained measurably in vitality. 
Then the temperature may be allowed to fall to 75°, 
where it should stand until the following day. After that, 
if the puppies are vigorous they ought to be able to bear 
a temperature of 70°. But no lower degree will be safe 
for the next four weeks ; nor will any very considerable 
fall be allowable before the fifth or sixth month. 

These limits are set for fairly hardy breeds, yet there 
are some, black-and-tans, Italian greyhounds and other 
toys, for instance, which require a higher degree of 
warmth. In fact these varieties can scarcely be too warm 
during the earliest days of life. 

It can safely be accepted that if a puppy becomes 
chflled during the first two or three days the chances are 
nearly all against recovery, also that when this happens in 
a room kept as warm as it ought to be the victim is natu- 
rally weakly, and even were warmth restored it would 
scarcely be possible to rear him. 

Doubtless inferring as much from the limitations of the 
human mother, whose milk secretion is often as long 
delayed without injury to her child, some who have 
publicly discussed the subject of breeding have stated 



262 KENNEL SECRETS. 

that the secretion of milk in the canine mother may be 
delayed from twenty-four to forty-eight hours and yet be 
within the normal limits. But the obvious method of rea- 
soning is not justified in this instance, and certainly the 
assumption is wholly at variance with experience, which 
has shown that in the majority of cases milk forms in the 
breasts of the latter before birth ; also, that new-born 
puppies must be put to them as soon as possible, for where 
they have failed to nurse within the first few hours of life 
they have very generally died. 

While milk is usually present at birth the supply is 
seldom abundant in the first twenty-four hours, during 
which period, fortunately, puppies are easily satisfied ; 
but, as a rule, under their vigorous nursing, which acts 
as a potent stimulant, the quantity soon becomes greater, 
and afterwards keeps pace with their increasing demands. 
Cases are not infrequent, however, where the breasts fail to 
respond as they ought and their supply remains scanty ; 
in which event the mother must be encouraged to drink 
freely of liquids, as milk, gruel, water, etc., for the purpose 
of securing an increase. And such efforts must not be 
delayed until they are clearly demanded, but be made as 
soon as there appears the barest reason for suspecting 
that the supply will be insufficient. 

This treatment, while of value in some cases, is, however, 
far more often ineffectual than effectual, no matter how 
faithfully applied, consequently to rely upon it solely would 
be extremely hazardous, and in all instances preparations 
should be promptly made to nourish the puppies artificially 
in the event their mother fails them. 

Unfortunately it is impossible even twenty-four hours 
after whelping to determine positively whether the quan- 
tity of milk will be large or small ; but still products of 
experience, far from being certain, however, enable breeders 
to form a probable diagnosis. 



;iJ<<^ 




MR. T. S. BELLIN, 
ALBANY, N. Y. 



CARE OF THE NEW-BORN. 263 

The outlook may be considered favorable if at this time 
the breasts are large and a fairly good flow of milk has 
been established. The chances are also increased some- 
what where puppies have been previously born, for in 
many instances the quantity of milk is notably greater 
after the second and third litters ; and it would seem that 
in certain mothers it grew more abundant after every 
whelping, up to the fourth or fifth year. 

The kind and amount of food also bear upon this ques- 
tion, — more heavily even than the age^ — and in all cases 
where the mother has not been wisely and generously fed 
during gestation a scanty supply of milk is the rule, while 
in exceptions to it, in which there is an abundance of milk 
after whelping, its early decline in quantity or quality, and 
generally both, may be confidently expected. Again, the 
health of the nursing mother is a matter of infinite im- 
portance, and the fact need not be urged that if her con- 
stitution is poor or she is a victim of harassing and 
debilitating disease her milk supply can never be abundant ; 
moreover, that what little she has will be vitiated and 
unwholesome if not absolutely poisonous. 

Summarizing briefly, for the purpase of emphasizing the 
first essentials brought out in the foregoing : The puppies 
should be put to the breasts and made to nurse if possible 
as soon as the whelping is over and the bedding has been 
changed. Duly considering the facts stated, an estimate 
should be made of the chances of having a goodly supply 
of milk, and if they seem poor everything needful should 
be at once obtained and kept in readiness to nourish arti- 
ficially as soon as indications for such treatment appear. 

As for signs manifested by little ones that are denied suf- 
ficient milk, their abdomens instead of being well rounded 
out and somewhat resistant to pressure are quite flat, the 
walls being relaxed and flaccid ; they sleep much of the 



264 KENNEL SECRETS. 

time and seem unwilling to make any attempt to nurse, 
and when taken in the hands are limp and feeble. These 
symptoms in the main are those of weakness and may be 
occasioned by a large variety of influences, yet the condi- 
tions of the mother's breasts being questionable they must 
point to starvation as the cause. 

Breeders generally seem impressed with the idea that 
most canine mothers suffer from milk fever, yet this is by 
no means the rule where puppies are born alive and con- 
tinue to live and nurse vigorously during the next forty- 
eight hours. And the reason why they so often escape 
appears in the fact that they begin to suckle their young 
-very soon after whelping, consequently their breasts are 
seldom very much swollen even when the milk is abundant. 

Where puppies that have reached an advanced stage 
of gestation are born dead or die shortly after delivery, 
usually, but not invariably, all the phenomena of milk 
fever manifest themselves, i.e., the breasts become much 
swollen and evidently painful, the skin is hot and dry and 
the pulse quickened ; there are thirst, loss of appetite and 
a decided disinclination to activity. Of these symptoms 
generally the fever and acceleration of pulse are the first 
to disappear, and in the course of from twenty-four to 
forty-eight hours, at which time the breasts, although 
still greatly distended, are evidently less acutely painful. 
The rapidity with which the swelling in them subsides 
depends much upon the treatment, but even when none 
is applied the natural state of things is generally restored 
ere the end of a week. 

The dangers of this and other fevers after whelping 
have been very greatly exaggerated, and in consequence 
the notion is prevalent that all mothers should be kept on 
low diet, and especially " sloppy foods," for the first two 
or three days at least, as a preventive measure ; whereas 



CARE OF THE NEW-BORN. 265 

milk fever is not in the slightest degree dangerous, and 
deserves consideration only where the puppies have been 
lost. And even then it occasions discomfort merely. As 
for puerperal fever, the only fever peculiar to. the whelping 
state which need disturb the minds of apprehensive breed- 
ers, that is very rare in canine mothers, and a person may 
breed extensively for years without seeing a case of it. 

Where the puppies are lost and milk fe%er occurs it is 
eminently right and proper that treatment be applied for 
the purpose of lessening the mother's discomforts. But 
" sloppy foods," which are so generally supposed to be 
the least favorable to inflammation and fever, are the very 
ones that must not be given in this instance, for they would 
surely tend to increase the secretion of milk and so inten- 
sify the existing trouble. And the same can be said of 
water merely. Consequently for several days the patient 
should have such foods as boiled rice, broken dog cakes 
or well-baked bread crusts, — • in limited quantity always, — 
softened by a little milk or broth, and be allowed water 
only at intervals of five or six hours, and then even but a 
little at a time. 

If her breasts are badly swollen and what is popularly 
termed "caked," the mother should be quartered in the 
kitchen or other convenient, well-warmed place until her 
discomfort has abated. During the day hot, dry flannels 
should be applied to her breasts for fifteen or twenty 
minutes at a sitting, and the application be repeated as 
often as possible ; while at night they should be gently 
rubbed with camphorated oil, the same being used 
generously. 

Notwithstanding the notion that cathartics are always 
required in cases of this sort, neither these nor any other 
drugs need be given, for under the simple treatment 
advised very considerable improvement will take place 



266 KENNEL SECRETS. 

within forty-eight hours, and the milk "dry up" as 
quickly as under dosing. And it is well to add that the 
breast pump must not be used in these cases, for while 
it would afford temporary relief it would greatly retard 
recovery. 

Only rarely are mothers wholly destitute of milk in the 
first days after whelping, but not infrequently it happens 
that the supply is far from sufficient for all the puppies, 
and in no small number of instances the flow is abundant 
at first and then lost altogether in the course of a week or 
two ; in which cases it is necessary either to provide a 
foster mother or nourish artificially — alternatives that 
are extremely vexatious and generally difficult to meet. 

Those who have large kennels and breed extensively 
are to some extent fortified against these accidents, for 
very often they have two or more bitches come in at about 
the same time and if the milk of one is insufficient or 
lost she is assisted or her entire duty assumed by the for- 
tunate mother or mothers. But in the absence of such 
happy conditions it is extremely difficult and more often 
than otherwise impossible to obtain a suitable foster 
mother. 

If a mother lost her last litter because of failure of her 
milk supply it by no means follows that she will be as 
unfortunate with her next, still her owner should have a 
foster at hand to prevent this accident if again threatened. 
And he who has a bitch of great value and has paid a 
laro-e price for "service" can wisely do likewise, for the 
chances are many that even were the assistant not an 
imperative necessity she might yet be used to very great 
advantage and prove a profitable investment, — results, by 
the way, that may confidently be expected where this 
provision is made for first litters. 

Foster mothers can generally be obtained for trifling 



SCOTCH TERRIERS. 




Mr. W. W. Spelman's Teazer. 




MR.W. E. ALCOCK'S TIREE. 



CARE OF THE NEW-BORN. 267 

sums, but very rarely indeed within a day or even a week ; 
therefore they should be sought for early ; and the course 
that suggests itself as the easiest and surest is to adver- 
tise the want in the kennel papers at least a month before 
the bitches they are to assist are expected to whelp. 

Quality need not enter into the considerations in choos- 
ing a foster mother, for a mongrel will do as well as a 
pure breed, and perhaps better. Nor is the question of 
size a very important one, notwithstanding some breeders 
insist that the two mothers should be of about the same 
size ; and while it is better, of course, that they be nearly 
so, or the foster the larger, a difference in the other direc- 
tion need not weigh heavily unless very great. 

But it is of the highest importance that the foster 
mother be in good health, and imperatively necessary is it 
that she be not only absolutely free from mange and other 
contagious affections but that there exist not the slightest 
danger of her being the carrier of disease. For instance, 
did she belong to a kennel in which there were or had 
recently been cases of distemper, although she herself 
might be perfectly safe from the disease she would yet be 
ineligible, since she would likely transmit the germs in 
her coat. 

With due regard to possible irregularities in the duration 
of gestation, it is advisable that the foster mother be due 
to whelp about a day earlier than the bitch whose duties 
she maybe called upon to assume. Yet nice adjustments 
need not be attempted, for milk three or four days older 
than that of the adopted is generally well borne, and, in 
fact, instances are not infrequent where puppies in the 
first or second days of life do well on milk from a week 
to ten days old. 

As for puppies that are in the last part of the first 
week, milk even three or four weeks old is often kindly 



268 KENNEL SECRETS. 

received by them. And in one case tlie writer put pup- 
pies of this age to the breasts of a mother and brought 
back her milk, which had nearly all disappeared, after she 
had weaned her own litter. 

■ Another case of even greater interest than this was that 
of a Gordon. Some five months after whelping, one of her 
mates, a toy, had a litter of puppies, of which this setter 
at once became very fond. And as she was entente cor- 
dialc with their mother she was permitted to pass much 
of her time with them and snuggle them as she would her 
own. Very strangely, indeed, ere the end of the second 
week — -and doubtless in consequence of frequent tugging 
by the puppies — milk appeared in her breasts, which 
were absolutely dry when these little ones were born ; 
and she nursed them regularly until weaned. More than 
this, after the toys had been weaned, two mastiffs about 
a week old were put to her breasts, and these, also, she 
carried to the weaning. 

Considering that delay is extremely liable to prove 
fatal, obviously the transfer of the puppies to the foster 
should be made as soon as signs appear indicating that 
their mother will be unable to nourish them. And the 
fact deserves emphasis that to wait for positive proof in 
this instance is always hazardous. 

As to disposal of the foster's puppies, if they are worth 
raising efforts should be made to nourish them artificially, 
otherwise they should be given to the suspected mother, 
and in case her milk takes on an increase some of her 
own little ones can be returned to her. 

In discussing this subject it is quite the custom to inti- 
mate that it is a hard task to induce foster mothers to do 
their duty by their charges, yet the writer's experience is 
at variance, and only in one instance has he encountered 
any difficulty, although he has made many transfers, while 



CARE OF THE NEW-BORN. . 269 

in this exceptional case the introduction was so abrupt 
and due formalities so slighted the results occasioned no 
surprise. 

A wise course to pursue in making the transfer is to 
remove both litters, put all the puppies into the same 
basket and keep them together for several hours. In the 
mean time the breasts of the foster mother will fill up, and 
the distension causing her some discomfort, she will gen- 
erally receive the strangers as cordially as she would her 
own. If, however, to delay is dangerous ' they should 
simply be put to her breasts and she be made to under- 
stand that she has no choice in the matter. Careful 
watching will, of course, be advisable for a time, but if 
all goes well the first day no uneasiness need be felt 
thereafter. 

Puppies can be fed by means of a spoon or nourished in 
the same way as infants deprived of their mother's milk. 
And in event of the latter, which is the easier, the appara- 
tus used should consist of merely a small bottle and rub- 
ber nipple, in the top of which has been placed a small 
piece of perfectly clean sponge, which fits easily without 
compression. But as most of the nipples found in shops 
have such small holes, and the milk does not flow as freely 
as it ought, it will be necessary to enlarge one or more of 
them to about the size of a "darning needle." 

Puppies that are nourished artificially require feeding 
nights as well as days, and during the first week once 
every hour and a half is none to often ; while every two 
hours should be the rule in the second week, and three 
hours in the third. 

All this time they must be kept in a very warm place, 
and in a basket lined with a piece of flannel or soft blan- 
ket. And during the first few days a fold of this should 
be laid over them lest draughts strike them and they 
become chilled. 



2/0 KENNEL SECRETS. 

\ 

As for the quantity of food to be given at each feeding, 
it should be sufficient to fill out their abdomens, but not 
distend them — merely enough to overcome that flabbiness 
of the abdominal muscles which is so apparent when the 
stomach is empty. 

Milk is the food required, and it may be direct from the 
cow or in condensed form. In the first instance it should 
be scalded, allowed to cool until merely "blood warm," and 
then to each feeding should be added a " pinch" of the 
saccharated pepsin, an agent which contains the digestive 
principles of the gastric juice. By this means cow's milk 
will be rendered nearly, if not quite, as easily digestible as 
the canine mother's, and dilution will not be necessary, nor 
would it be advisable, for the former is not so rich as the 
latter. 

Milk properly condensed has essentially the same com- 
position as before evaporation, minus the water, — that is, 
unless cane sugar has been added or the heat has been car- 
ried too high, — but that which is commonly used for 
domestic purposes is not above suspicion of sophistication 
and indifferent methods of preservation, therefore only the 
brands intended largely for infant feeding should be used. 
As for the dilutions required, they vary with the prepara- 
tions, but as a rule half a teaspoonful of milk to eight tea- 
spoonfuls of water is about the correct proportion. 

While feeding artificially it is highly important that the 
apparatus be kept perfectly clean, also that the intestinal 
discharges be constantly watched, and in the event they 
become diarrhoea-like it may be accepted that the milk 
is too rich and requires dilution, while if they have a sour 
odor it will be necessary to give at each feeding as much 
lime-water as milk. And the discharges being watery and 
sour-smelling, colic either exists or is imminent, hence one 
drop of laudanum should be given between each feeding 
until a chancre for the better shall have occurred. 



MR. HENRY BROOKS* SCOTCH TERRIERS. 





CARE OF THE NEW-BORN. 2/1 

If a puppy takes kindly to the bottle the first day the 
chances of carrying him through are fairly good. But 
only an occasional one will do this, and even he is likely to 
fall victim to diarrhoea, colic or other digestive disturb- 
ances. However, this unfavorable outlook ought not to 
deter any one from endeavoring to save valuable puppies 
when this is the last resource. 

In some countries infants deprived of their mother's 
milk are often nursed by animals, and most frequently by 
the she-goat, which, besides being docile and easily trained 
to yield nourishment to the child, has teats of a very favor- 
able shape and size, and this animal has proved as conven- 
ient a foster mother for puppies of large breeds. The 
sheep has also been pressed into like service, but being 
generally wild and intractable she has rarely proved an 
eminent success. As for the small breeds, to secure a 
foster for them is easier, as cats can as a rule be readily 
persuaded to adopt them; and their milk seems well suited 
to puppies, for in many instances they have been nourished 
by it from birth and thrived as well as they could have 
done on the milk of their natural mother. 

Returning to the real mother, even if she has a goodly 
supply of milk she can rarely do justice to more than eight 
puppies, and were it the rule to reduce all large litters to 
six, breeding would be far more profitable than it is now ; 
moreover, there would be a marked improvement in the 
canine race. But the man who has paid a large price for 
his bitch and a heavy fee for " service" is generally anx- 
ious to "get his money back" as soon as possible, and the 
larger the litter the greater his delight. As he views the 
matter, every puppy has a fixed value, and to sacrifice one 
is simply to throw away so many hard dollars; therefore, 
he looks to the mother to nurse them all, even if there are 
ten or more — that is, unless he has learned from experi- 
ence that he is expecting altogether too much. 



272 KENNEL SECRETS. 

The infinite majority of those who have yielded to such 
irrational promptings have met with bitter disappointment 
and seen puppy after puppy drop off with alarming fre- 
quency. And oftentimes within such experiences the few 
remaining at the end of the third week have scarcely been 
worth raising ; whereas had the litters been properly 
reduced in size at first, very many of the puppies would 
doubtless have been saved and reached the weaning strong 
and healthy. 

While nursing a litter of good size a mother is under a 
strain that may affect her vitality. Unless a puppy has 
an abundant supply of milk to draw from he cannot thrive 
and develop well ; and were one deprived of it to live he 
must be more or less weakly and stunted. Acting in 
accordance with these important facts the intelligent 
breeder who has too large a litter will promptly reduce its 
size, either b}^ providing a foster-mother, by artificial feed- 
ing or drowning. If the latter means must be resorted 
to, as a rule he need not apply it the first day unless there 
are several females in the litter that he does not care to 
raise ; in which event the sooner he disposes of them the 
better. 

Other weedings may be left to the second day, because 
it is rarely possible on the first to distinguish between the 
weakly and the healthy and vigorous, and of course the 
former are to go if a sacrifice is demanded. And even 
with a litter reduced to fair size the chances are that more 
than one member of it will drop out before the weaning 
period has been reached. 

Bearing strongly upon this point is the important fact 
already stated, that puppies should have ample nourish- 
ment in the first few hours of life. Now, if the milk sup- 
ply is scanty during the first week, even if abundant 
afterward, the deprivation will very generally have a 



CARE OF THE NEW-BORN: 2/3 

permanent effect. In other words, the puppies will as a 
rule have experienced a set-back, from the ill effects of 
which they will never recover, and if they live they will 
be but indifferent specimens of their breeds. The results 
from this cause, not unnaturally, are the most pronounced 
in the largest breeds, and are exhibited by impaired growth, 
malformations, etc. 

Notwithstanding every precaution is taken, mothers will 
sometimes be found with puppies under them ; and while 
many of the little victims of this accident are crushed and 
at once beyond all hope, now and then one is suffocated 
without other injury ; in which instance recovery is pos- 
sible if treatment is applied promptly. Consequently, if a 
puppy that has been lain on is warm when found, efforts 
should always be made to restore him, even if there are no- 
signs of life. Enveloped in hot flannel, his head only left 
uncovered, one thickness of clean cloth should be spread 
over his gaping mouth, and to the upper side the holder 
should put his own mouth and slowly inflate the unfortu- 
nate's lungs. That done he should remove his mouth and 
gently compress the chest, so as to force out the air that 
he has driven in. And this artificial respiration should be 
persisted in for at least ten minutes. 

While fortunate results from this treatment may be 
rare, in consequence of too great delay, it should always 
be tried when there appears " a living chance," the fact 
being kept in mind that in these cases, as in other expe- 
riences, success sometimes attends when least expected. 

Impediments to nursing due to temporary or permanent 
malformations of the teats are not common, still that they 
sometimes occur justifies their consideration here. 

Where the breasts are very much distended with milk 
it may be difficult for new-born puppies to seize and hold 
the teats, in which case it is merely necessary to draw 



274 KENNEL SECRETS. 

them out with the fingers and press them into the little 
ones' mouths. 

In extremely rare instances a teat is so much shorter 
than usual the fingers cannot grasp it, and the following 
means — often resorted to in like cases in human mothers 
— must be employed: Take a beer or ginger ale bottle 
and rinse it with very hot water. Dip the neck, merely, 
in cold water and allow it to remain in the same for about 
ten seconds ; then surround the depressed teat with the 
mouth of the bottle and maintain gentle but firm pressure 
against the breast. As the bottle cools the teat will be 
drawn up into the neck, and after being fixed there for 
ten or fifteen minutes it will when released very generally 
project enough to enable a puppy to obtain a firm hold. 

Extremely long and misshapen teats are sometimes en- 
countered, and with these nothing can be done in the way 
of treatment. Fortunately, however, seldom more than 
two or three such are found on the same mother ; and 
although the puppies may refuse them at first, as a rule 
they take kindly to them in the course of a few days — 
that is, unless, as is sometimes the case, the breasts from 
which they project are incapable of secreting milk. 

About the third week, in consequence of being bitten 
and scratched by the puppies, the teats as well as the 
breasts often become quite sore, and in fact with some 
varieties the mothers generally require much persuasion 
at this period before they will allow themselves to be 
nursed, so painful is the operation. 

In such cases weaning should be effected as soon as 
possible consistent with the welfare of the puppies ; and 
until then the treatment should be the application of the 
so-called apple-butter, which can be made as follows. 
Remove the skin and core of an apple of medium size. 
Slice and crush in a mortar, and put into a frying-pan, 



CARE OF THE NEW-BORN. 275 

together with a lump of perfectly fresh butter — but just 
churned and yet without salt — about the size of a hen's 
&g^. Stew these with gentle heat until the apple has all 
disappeared, and then pour them into a bowl and set away 
to cool. 

This mixture, which cools to about the consistency of 
vaseline, should be freely and often applied to the sores ; 
and being of innocent ingredients the puppies cannot be 
endangered by it, as they would be by medicinal applica- 
tions having any considerable action. 

After the weaning this remedy can be persisted in 
until the sores are healed, or the ointment of the oxide of 
zinc, which is generally more easily obtainable, can be 
used, and it will speedily effect a cure. 

As for "drying up the milk " after weaning, but rarely 
will it be necessary to make any efforts to this end, for 
mothers very generally do well when left entirely to them- 
selves. If, however, it so happens that the breasts are 
much swollen and painful, warm camphorated oil may be 
freely applied ; and beyond this no other treatment will 
be required. 

Instances are numerous in which mothers have had an 
abundance of milk yet their puppies, apparently healthy 
and vigorous at birth, have all died in the course of three 
or four days, and the popular assumption has been that 
the milk was either lacking in essential nutritive elements 
or contained noxious properties. The writer has found 
the former the rule, yet he has encountered cases where 
the milk was up to the standard quality, and although no 
poisons could be detected he felt convinced that they 
were there, or had been there, to account for the fatality. 
And in several of these he made experiments, the results 
of which led up to the belief that the harmful proper- 
ties, if there were any in the milk, were limited to that 
furnished during the first day. 



276 KENNEL SECI^EES. 

In three cases where puppies were dropping off quickly 
on the third day, he took from free-milking mothers pup- 
pies of about the same age as those dying and put them 
to the suspected breasts, and kept them there until the 
weaning, which they reached in good condition ; while 
in two other cases he was fortunate enough to be able to 
try the same experiment on the second day with the same 
good results. And in this way he narrowed the poisons 
down to the first day. 

A short time before these experiments were made a 
well-known and highly intelligent breeder advanced the 
theory that it was the very first milk that contained the 
noxious properties, and he advised that the breast-pump 
be applied the day before whelping and all the milk be 
drawn out. 

In discussing this treatment shortly afterward the 
writer said in substance as follows : Were it possible to 
interpret correctly the wants of a bitch in whelp, to know 
just what forms of nourishment are essential to her sup- 
port and to maintain her in the highest state of health, 
with all her functions unimpaired, then, if consonant with 
this knowledge proper care was administered, it would 
seem like an unwarrantable interference to attempt to 
nurse her artificially previous to whelping. This perfect 
familiarity with her wants, however, is denied, and doubt- 
less there is often something wanting in her composition, 
and its loss prevents her reaching perfection of health. 
Nor would slight or even considerable deviation from the 
normal be inconsistent with the outward evidences of 
health, for functions might be disordered to a consider- 
able extent and yet the fact remain concealed from even 
the most careful observer. And did any weakness or dis- 
order of the system exist the milk would likely be more 
or less vitiated. But it is not alone sufficient to consider 



CARE OF THE NEW-BORN. 277 

mere abnormalities of this nature, and one must jjo 
farther and include psychical influences which have a 
most decided bearing. For instance, in the human race 
the disturbing passions will cause certain secretions to 
become corrupted and even acquire poisonous properties. 
Beyond doubt the same causes are nearly if not quite as 
active in the lower orders, for the bite of an animal goaded 
to desperation heals less rapidly and is attended with 
greater inflammation than one administered when the 
system is uninfluenced by excited passion. And if great 
mental disturbances in the human mother diminish or 
vitiate the secretion of milk and it becomes hurtful and 
even deadly to the nursing child, assuredly it is reasonable 
to assume that the same effects would follow like cause in 
the canine mother. Another fact to be considered is, that 
seldom are valuable bitches in the last few days of preg- 
nancy permitted to follow their own instinctive prompt- 
ings, but very generally they are kept under rigid re- 
straint, lest accidents occur ; and if they have been 
allowed constantly liberty, as they ought, they must be 
more or less nervous, fretful, and discontented. 

All of which goes to show that the influences 
which may affect the milk of the dam are many and 
varied, and each and every one must be considered and 
given due weight in discussing this important question. 

Experience acquired since giving expression to the 
foregoing has led the writer to believe that where a large 
number of dogs are kept together, are much restrained, 
and the preparation of the food and the feeding and 
watering are left to hired help, — in which instance such 
duties are scarcely likely to be attended to with absolute 
faithfulness, — it is a wise procedure to use the breast- 
pump and draw out all the milk on the day previous to 
whelping. If, on the other hand, the expectant mother 



2/8 KENNEL SECRETS. 

is alone or has but one or two mates, has been given 
ample exercise, fed from her master's table and otherwise 
treated with the consideration she deserves, to empty the 
breasts as advised is rarely necessary. Also, that the 
operation can do no harm if it fails to do good. 

An abnormal condition of the milk that is responsible 
for not a few deaths among puppies is excessive acidity. 
Now, the milk of a healthy dam is either slightly alkaline 
or else neutral, and a slight acidity is not appreciable to 
the eye, but when this reaction is a decided one the milk is 
thicker than usual or distinctly curdled, and gives rise to 
colic and diarrhoea, which are speedily fatal unless prompt 
relief is afforded. 

This peculiar trouble is often caused by fermented 
foods, as meal puddings that have been too long kept. 
There are some mothers, also, that exhibit it no matter 
how they are fed, and in them it is attributed to some 
functional derangement, possibly in the organs con- 
cerned in digestion. And it may be suspected if the 
puppies, healthy at birth, begin on the third or fourth 
day to moan and cry, grow cold and clammy to the touch, 
and at the same time emit a sour and otherwise offensive 
odor. 

As soon as these signs are noted a piece of blue lit- 
mus paper should be obtained of the nearest druggist 
for the purpose of testing the milk, and if the same turns 
it red it is very acid, and the puppies must be taken 
from the mother and vigorous treatment applied to her 
at once. 

By means of a breast-pump all the milk must be drawn 
out, and this operation repeated three or four times during 
the next twelve hours. As soon as possible, also, the 
mother must be given an antacid in the form of bicar- 
bonate of soda, of which the dose for other than toys is 



CARE OF THE NEW-BORN. 279 

one-half a teaspoonful, to be dissolved in about one-half a 
teacupful of water and poured down the patient's throat, 
while for toys it should be decreased one-half. And this 
medicine, in like doses, should be repeated at intervals of 
three hours during the first day, once in six hours the 
next, and three times daily throughout the remainder of 
the week. 

During the period in which the breast-pump is in use 
the puppies must not be allowed to nurse the mother, but 
kept near a fire, in a basket lined with well-warmed flannel 
or blanket, and treated as follows : — 

Put four tablespoonfuls of lime-water into a cup and add 
to the same sixteen drops of laudanum. Of this mixture 
give each puppy one teaspoonful. Half an hour later, to 
every one that is still crying and moaning give another 
teaspoonful of the mixture. After that, until they become 
quiet, give one teaspoonful every hour to all that moan or 
cry. 

No effort should be made to nourish them until the 
fourth or fifth hour after they have been taken from their 
mother. Then they should be given a mixture of cow's 
milk and lime-water in equal parts, to which should be 
added boiling water in quantity merely sufficient to make 
the whole "blood warm." And of this four or five tea- 
spoonfuls should be administered every two hours, by 
means of a spoon. 

On the day following that on which the acidity was 
detected, the milk in the mean time having all been drawn 
out three or four times as advised, the puppies may be 
returned to their mother and permitted to nurse, provided 
always her milk is no longer acid. If, however, it is still 
sufficiently so to turn litmus paper red the puppies must 
be kept from her and nourished artificially until the soda 
has rendered the milk secretion alkaline or neutral ; in 



2 So KENNEL SECRETS. 

which condition it will no longer affect the color of this 
paper. 

If the bicarbonate of soda is faithfully given the mother 
for a week there will be but little danger of her milk again 
becoming excessively acid ; but still it will be best to con- 
tinue to use means of prevention, and lime-water is the 
antacid to be relied upon after the first week. This should 
be added to milk in the proportion of one teacupful to 
every pint ; and of the mixture she should be encouraged 
to drink freely several times daily. But in event she 
refuses it, it may be accepted that she tastes the lime- 
water and the proportion of the same must be lessened. 

The means of anticipating excessive acidity has been ad- 
vised in chapter "Before Whelping," and that — the pre- 
cipitated phosphate of lime — should be given daily to 
every expectant mother that has ever experienced this 
accident. 




CHAPTER VI. 



EARLIEST PUPPYHOOD. 



The first six weeks is practically a puppy's infancy, and 
during this, as in infancy proper, the mortality is far 
greater than in any other period of life, for the reason 
that the resistant powers are then very feeble and in 
conseqence the system is easily deranged and diseased. 
Considering which, notwithstanding the general rules of 
management have been discussed at length in the pre- 
ceding chapters, the special requirements during earliest 
puppyhood will bear further emphasis, and even repetition 
can properly be indulged in if necessary to give due 
prominence to the important essentials. 

The first fact to be enlarged upon is, that except, in 
hot weather all very young puppies must have artificial 
warmth, not alone because they are poorly able to resist 
the depressing and destructive influences of cold, but 
because they are in imperative need of that extraordinary 
vivifying effect of warmth which reaches to all parts of 
the body and excites stronger and healthier action in 
every important organ. Indeed, so great is the suscepti- 
bility of the new-born to cold it can properly be said that 

• 281 



282 KENNEL SECRETS. 

it is hardly possible to keep them too warm, and certainly 
the degree of heat already advised for the whelping room 
— 80° Fahr. — cannot be any too great. 

Obviously the period of greatest danger from cold exists 
in the first few hours after birth, while the little ones are 
wet with the amniotic fluid, yet even when they have dried 
and their own natural bodily heat has developed they are 
very easily chilled. Nor do they gain resistance rapidly, 
but continue in danger of this accident for at least three 
weeks — the degree, of course, gradually subsiding. 

It will doubtless seem to some that the period of special 
liability to chilling having passed, puppies might with 
safety, even in cold weather, be put into stables, kennels 
or other buildings unfurnished with heating arrangements ; 
and to believe this is made easier by the mistaken impres- 
sions which are so prevalent about the invigorating effects 
of cold. Without attempting to discuss these notions it 
is merely necessary to say that cold is to some degree 
mvigorating to men and superior animals, provided their 
bodies have sufficient covering to retain the internal 
warmth and they are well developed, abundantly nourished, 
healthy and robust. 

In all presenting these conditions cold will ordinarily 
tend to promote vigor and energy, but it can never do so 
when any of them are in considerable degree wanting ; 
and certainly it cannot properly be considered other than 
inimical to the very young and very old, in whom the 
powers of resistance are invariably low. 

Clearly, therefore, young puppies should not be exposed 
to cold excepting when they are sure to resist its depress- 
ing effects by free exercise. It is evident, moreover, that 
such exposures should not be of longer duration than the 
requisite exercise. And accepting this as essential to the 
preservation of the health of puppies, also the fact, too 



EARLIEST PUPPYHOOD. 283 

plain to be mistaken, that they cannot possibly thrive if 
they are denied the force-producing and vitalizing influ- 
ence of heat, the conclusion is inevitable that they must 
have comfortably warm quarters throughout the growing 
stage. 

Breeders are singularly reluctant to go thus far or 
acknowledge the entire truth of this ; and while they may 
appreciate the importance of artificial heat in the first 
month of life, no small proportion of them, even during 
severe weather, put their puppies into unheated quarters 
as soon as they have been weaned, under the impression 
that they will be healthier and develop more rapidly there 
than they would were they kept warm. And, as might be 
expected, such breeders are never eminent successes, for 
these practices invariably tell sorely and result in impair- 
ment of the general health, constitution and growth, and 
in very many instances in deformities. 

The writer is convinced that no more dangerous rock 
lies in the way of breeders, hence his efforts to give it 
every possible prominence. And to this end he draws 
from his experience in raising pugs. 

Some ten years ago he bought a small kennel of this 
breed for the young members of his family, who at once 
gave the little ones the freedom of the house. Not long 
afterwards he learned from various sources that pugs were 
very hard to raise and losses from almost every litter 
might be confidently expected. Yet notwithstanding the 
reputed high rate of mortality there have been whelped at 
his home over one hundred and fifty of these toys, and not 
a single one among them all has died. Of course there 
has been now and then a weakling, but such were all 
promptly disposed of, and, as stated, not a natural death 
has occurred in this wide experience. 

The reason for this phenomenally good fortune appears 



284 KENAEL SECRETS. 

in the fact that all whelpings occurred in the kitchen 
excepting when the weather was intensely hot ; and until 
long after the weaning the youngsters rarely encountered 
a temperature lower than 80°, while oftentimes during 
days it ran much higher than this in their corner, which 
was within two feet of the cooking range, and on several 
occasions, for the purpose of experiment, quite intense 
heat was kept up day and night for a week or more, 
during which times the little ones actually grew faster 
and became plumper, stronger and hardier than while the 
temperature was at the usual degree. 

It is, of course, impossible to fix the temperatures 
which puppies require in their various stages of growth, 
for obviously the toys require a higher degree of heat 
than the big ones, and as a rule the short-haired a higher 
than the long-haired. But niceties of adjustment are not 
necessary, provided the degree is high enough, for it is 
scarcely possible to keep any puppy too warm during his 
first month. 

As previously stated, after the weaning, and when some 
decided resistance to cold has been acquired, a lower 
temperature than 75° will in many instances be allow- 
able, but in none ought it to fall more than five, or at the 
most ten, degrees before the puppies are five or six 
months old. 

A nearer adjustment than this would scarcely be pos- 
sible without duly considering the influence of existing 
conditions. For instance, if five or six puppies were 
together it would not be necessary to keep the quarters 
quite as warm as it would be were they occupied by only 
one or two. Some puppies are more playful than others, 
and the active require less artificial heat than the sluggish, 
The coat makes a very great difference also, and mani 
festly a short-haired puppy cannot bear a low tempera- 




MR. W. S. JACKSON, 
DEER Park, Ont. 



EARLIEST PUrPYHOOD. 285 

ture as well as one which has long and thick hair. 
Quarters accessible to the sun's rays for several hours 
daily are comfortable with less heat than those to which 
they are denied or only admitted for a short time. 
Finally, there is a decided difference in sleeping quar- 
ters and bedding materials. 

Weighing the matter carefully, one ought not to be in 
doubt as to the degree of warmth required by his puppies, 
but if so, let him give the little ones the benefit of it and 
add five or ten degrees to his estimate, remembering 
always that they can bear quite a high degree with benefit, 
whereas a low degree will positively ruin them. Let him 
accept, also, that if puppies are put into too cold a place 
their lives will be spent in sleeping, huddled up to each 
other trying to keep warm, whereas if they are in a warm 
place they are far more likely to be up and on the move 
— the importance of which condition has been duly 
emphasized in the discussions on feeding. 

But the responsibility bearing in this direction does not, 
by any means, cease with the fifth or sixth month, for 
even although puppies are then fairly well able to resist 
cold when applied for short intervals, they must inevi- 
tably suffer from prolonged exposures ; and, besides, they 
still imperatively need the vitality-giving influence of 
heat. Hence the conclusion that their quarters should 
be kept comfortably warm even up to the age of maturity. 

There are doubtless some breeding only in a small way 
who are so situated that it would be simply impossible for 
them to provide heated quarters for their puppies after 
they have been weaned, although previous to that time 
they might give them a place by the kitchen fire. Such 
being the case they should obtain a packing case made of 
matched boards, cut a hole in it large enough merely 
for the puppies, and curtain the same with a piece of 
carpeting. 



286 KENNEL SECRETS. 

But this packing case must be a very large one even if 
the puppies are of small size. For instance, were they 
cockers and two or three in number, its dimensions should 
not be less than three feet each way ; and on every side, 
at the uppermost parts, there should be at least two holes, 
an inch in diameter, for the purpose of ventilation ; while 
for larger breeds a corresponding increase in the size 
of the box and openings for ventilation is, of course, 
demanded. 

Properly there should be nothing over a puppy's head 
except the roof of his kennel ; and especially ruinous are 
the low boxes which some breeders resort to, for the air 
in them must be always bad ; and besides his health being- 
impoverished in one of these, the puppy, feeling there is 
something over his head and rubbing or bumping against 
it a few times, gets into the habit of crouching, and 
instead of standing straight he goes wrong in front with 
a rapidity that the novice could scarcely credit. Again, 
if the puppies are long-coated, there are many of them, 
and their box is small it Vvrill likely prove much too warm 
for some of them, especially the strongest, which are sure 
to be at the bottom of the nest, and covered by the others 
— all huddling for warmth — ■ they often sweat freely, and 
in consequence sometimes lose much of their hair. Such 
loss from this cause is not a common one, of course, 
but it has been noted, and suggests the advisability of 
dividing up all large litters. 

In a word, never use sleeping-boxes excepting when 
puppies can in no other way be kept warm, for, as stated, 
at best they are ruinous. And really he who cannot keep 
his puppies comfortably warm without boxing ought not 
to attempt to breed them. 

Beyond keeping them warm and as free as possible 
from vermin, and their quarters clean, well lighted and 



EARLIEST PUPPVHOOD. 287 

ventilated, healthy puppies require but little of the care- 
takers up to time of weaning. These duties, however, 
must be faithfully met ; and not the least important is 
that of lighting. Although puppies are not, like plants, 
absolutely dependent for their growth upon the rays of 
the sun, they share with all nature its benign influence, 
and when kept constantly in places from which it is shut 
out they never thrive as they ought, and are prone to 
diseases that go hand in hand with debility. Therefore, 
by all means let the little ones have their daily " sun- 
bath ;" and the longer it lasts the better. 

In the way of vermin, fleas and lice are the most con- 
stant intruders during earliest puppyhood, and while the 
latter are at all times easily disposed of, in warm weather, 
certainly, perfect immunity from the former, no matter the 
protective means applied, must often be impossible. How- 
ever, temporary relief at least from these most resistant 
of nuisances can be obtained by energetic treatment, 
which should be administered as follows : — 

As soon as the mother and puppies are found to be in- 
fested with fleas they should be removed from their 
quarters, which, after the bedding has been taken out and 
burned, should be thoroughly cleaned. The weather being 
very warm or the heating arrangements such as will in- 
sure their drying quickly, the floors and walls should be 
liberally sprinkled or sponged with the tincture of flea 
powder or the crude carbolic acid solution prepared as ad- 
vised in the chapter devoted to "Troublesome Insects." 
If, however, speedy drying is for any reason out of the 
question a faithful sweeping must suffice in the way of 
cleaning; after which Persian insect powder — in the dry 
form — should be freely applied to the ceiling, walls and 
floors, and thrown into every crack and cranny. 

The mother and her puppies should then be taken to a 



288 KKNIVEL SECRETS. 

convenient out-building and treated with the same powder, 
which should be used generously and well worked into 
their coats. 

This powder, by the way, is not at all likely to do mature 
dogs harm, but in very young puppies it may produce 
symptoms of poisoning, the most pronounced of which are 
extreme prostration and paralysis of the hind legs. Conse- 
quently, after it has been used and allowed to remain in the 
hair for about five minutes the most of it should be brushed 
or combed out. And he who need not be sparing of time 
should use the comb, — a fine one, — by which means he 
will remove many fleas that are apparently dead yet 
merely narcotized and promise to be as lively as ever in 
the course of an hour. 

The mother, when released, will shake herself and throw 
off most of the powder from her coat, therefore she should 
be kept lying down and prevented from doing this for ten 
or fifteen minutes. Her breasts wiped with a cloth, and 
the floor swept — precautions necessary lest the powder 
get into the puppies' mouths — and new bedding, that 
has been lightly sprinkled with kerosene oil, put in, she and 
her little ones can be returned to their old quarters. And 
as a rule they will be comparatively free from the pests 
for two or three days, when the same procedures will 
again be demanded. 

The treatment required by puppies infested by lice has 
been fully described under " Troublesome Insects," there- 
fore it need not be gone into. 

Those who breed should be fully alive to the fact that 
the milk secretion is susceptible to no small number of 
influences which may arrest it, deteriorate it, or even 
render it highly poisonous. And among them the pain- 
ful emotions, as fear, grief and anger, are some of the 
most potent. Let a mother be the victim of either of 



EARLIEST PUPPYHOOD. 289 

these, the disquietude being intense or prolonged, and tlie 
chances are that for a time she will have much less milk ; 
also that what she furnishes will cause colic, diarrhoea and 
perhaps much graver symptoms in her puppies. Conse- 
quently, to treat the nursing mother kindly, make her 
perfectly contented, and above all to prevent her from 
fighting, are essentials of the very greatest importance. 
And were either to be further emphasized it must be the 
last, for a hard fight, even if the wounds received are 
trifling, will sometimes so poison the milk it will actually 
kill puppies that are less than ten days old. 

It should also be borne in mind that there are a num- 
ber of drugs which when given the mother to some extent 
pass out in her milk and have their characteristic action 
upon her young. It follows, therefore, that to dose a 
nursing mother must be somewhat hazardous, and the 
safe rule is to give medicine to such only when its use is 
sanctioned by a physician or thoroughly educated veteri- 
nary skilled in canine diseases. 

The same can be said of dosing puppies, excepting in 
colic and the presence of worms, in which affections per- 
sons of intelligence can be trusted to apply the simple 
measures of treatment that promise relief. And as no 
more favorable opportunity is likely to present, the meas- 
ures essential in the former can be properly discussed 
here. 

In colic keep the little patient very warm and give of the 
tincture of opium — laudanum — one drop for each week of 
life, every second hour until the moaning has ceased. 
That is, the dose in the first week of life should be one 
drop, in the second week two drops, and in the tenth, ten 
drops. 

This dose and method of increase are proper and safe in 
early life, for all breeds excepting toys, for the largest 



290 A'E^W'EL SACHETS. 

of which the dose should be one-half a drop for every 
week, while from one-fourth to one-third of a drop will be 
sufficient for the smallest. 

Doses adjusted by this rule may seem to the reader to be 
very large, yet they are simply moderate or medium, for 
laudanum and other preparations of opium have much less 
effect upon the canine than upon the human race ; and in 
fact a dose that would deeply narcotize a man would 
scarcely have any appreciable effect upon a dog", especially 
if suffering from colic. 

As for treatment of worms, the subject is so important 
and there is so much to be said upon it, an entire chapter, 
or more, can properly be devoted to it. 

Considering that all men do not appreciate how essen- 
tial fresh air is to their own health, and that there is a 
popula? prejudice, not altogether contined to the unedu- 
cated, ag-ainst it under certain conditions, its importance" 
to canine mothers and their young is not likely to be felt 
in all instances, consequently there is necessity for 
emphasizing it here among the special requirements of 
early puppyhood. 

It is simply impossible for a mother to retain her 
health and the integrity of milk secretion, or for her little 
ones to thrive, in a stagnant and vitiated atmosphere. 
x\nd while all must invariably suffer greatly when fresh 
air in abundance is denied, the young suffer the most 
intensely from this cause, and under its influence their 
blood becomes poor and scanty, nutrition is greatly 
impaired and growth obstructed; and their vitality con- 
stantly lowering, they are easy victims to derangements, 
which are now singularly liable to end fatally, whereas in 
the presence of fairly good health they might have been 
resisted, or the resistant po^yers failing, more than likely 
thev would soon have been recovered from. 



EARLIEST PUFPYHOOD. 29I 

None who have kept dogs need be told that the atmos- 
phere of a room holding one of them soon becomes 
loaded with offensive emanations from the tenant's body. 
Now add to these impurities others, even in greater 
abundance, such as arise continually and from numberless 
sources wherever there is a litter of puppies, and contami- 
nation is so rapid that efficient and safe renewal is well- 
nigh impossible excepting in the mildest weather. 

In considering the question of ventilation the quarters 
of nursing puppies may be likened to sick-rooms, for the 
tenants of the latter require m.uch more fresh air than 
they would were they in good health, and yet the renewal 
of the contaminated air must be less rapid owing to the 
increased susceptibility to draughts. Puppies in propor- 
tion to their size need more pure air and suffer greater 
harm from bad air than mature dogs, and they, also, are 
feeble and highly susceptible to draughts. Consequently 
in both instances where artificial warmth is required, to 
secure good ventilation will never be easy, and always 
impossible without care and watchfulness. 

In warm weather, when open windows and doors are 
matters of course, there is but little difficulty in obtaining 
an abundant supply of fresh air, but the necessity is none 
the less in cold weather, — a fact much too little appre- 
ciated, — and to meet it in the case of puppies, as with 
the sick, one of the most important essentials in a gener- 
ous use of fuel. 

Duly mindful that draughts are a deadly menace to 
puppies, the careful breeder will resort to some of the 
numerous devices for opening the windows and at the 
same time protecting the inmates. The simplest of these 
devices is a board, about one foot in width, on the win- 
dow-sill, and nailed or otherwise fastened to the inner 
casing, about an inch from the sash. With this in place 



292 KENNEL SECRETS. 

the window can be raised six or eight inches if necessary, 
and the air admitted at the lower aperture and between 
the two sashes will be directed upward. Or if the win- 
dows are small and intended especially for ventilation, 
such owner will see to it that they are hinged at the 
lower edge on the inside and provided with a deep frame, 
to prevent side draughts, and adjustable chains, that they 
may be opened and fixed at any desired angle. 

The importance of cleanliness deserves as strong 
emphasis, and in fact no amount of ventilation will keep 
the air good in quarters that are not clean. 

Where a mother is correct in her habits and allowed to 
go in and out at will, cleanliness is easily maintained 
during the first three weeks, and there is but little to do 
aside from renewing the bedding daily and changing the 
platforms every two or three days. But when she no 
longer cleans up after her little ones it will be necessary 
to look to the floors every day. 

He who has two rooms or pens, to be occupied by the 
mother and puppies on alternate days after the first week, 
is especially fortunate, for one can be used while the floor 
of the other is being disinfected and well dried. In the 
absence of such favorable conditions all filth should be 
removed daily and the floor beneath mopped with a cloth 
wet with the permanganate of potassium solution, the for- 
mula of which is given in chapter on " Kennelling." 
Disinfectants in powdered form would greatly favor con- 
venience, but obviously it would be inexpedient to use 
them where the puppies were very young ; nor is it 
expedient to use sawdust, dry sand or the like on the 
floors before the fifth or sixth week, for the reason that 
many of the particles would get into the little ones' 
mouths, and, swallowed, cause indigestion. 

While on the subject of cleanliness it will be as well to 




MRS. D. McLaren Morrison's Chow-Chow, 
"manoarin'6 Gift.'* 



Mr. F. W. Connolly's Schipperke, 
' COPLE Sophia.' ' 




E. Alcock's Bedlington Terrier, 
"jack Warkwohth." 



EARLIEST PUPPYHOOD. 293 

go further and consider the importance of practising this 
virtue when caring for the feeding-vessels which are used 
with puppies at the time of weaning and while cow's milk 
is being given. 

All may not know that under certain conditions there 
is generated in milk a virulent poison, bearing the name 
tyrotoxicon, which was first discovered in cheese, and 
eventually proved to be the active agent in ice-cream 
poisoning, epidemics of which have been freq .ent in this 
country. 

The special influences which develop this poison are 
heat, foul air and moisture. The first alone is scarcely 
sufficient, for it does but little more than cause the acid 
changes or souring, — and, as all know, sour milk is inno- 
cent of harm, — but when combined with emanations from 
filth its evil effects are greatly intensified, and these are 
still further favored by moisture. 

The symptoms of milk poisoning in adults are essentially 
the same as appear in severe cholera morbus, while in 
children they are identical with those of cholera infantum ; 
in fact there is ample reason for the belief that these so- 
called summer complaints in most instances are, pure and 
simple, attacks of milk poisoning. Now, while dogs, old 
and young, are far better able to resist food poisons than 
members of the human race, such is the nature of tyro- 
toxicon it is scarcely possible for them to be wholly insen- 
sible to it. And since diarrhoea of a rapidly depressing 
and fatal character is by no means infrequent among 
young puppies in hot weather, it is not at all unreasonable 
to suppose that they, also, suffer from this poison. 

Assuredly if they are susceptible to milk poisoning the 
loose methods of many caretakers must do much to make 
puppies frequent victims of it ; and more than likely the 
poison is usually generated in the feeding-vessels, which 



294 KENNEL SECRETS. 

are often filled and left in the pens between feedin<;-s, and 
before fresh milk is put into them what remains of the 
previous meal is simply poured out, or at best they are 
but indifferently rinsed in cold water from the drinking- 
pail. 

Until it has been proved that dogs are, by some pecu- 
liarity of constitution, protected from the danger of milk 
poisoning, clearly it is the duty of breeders to close every 
door through wdiich this accident might possibly enter. 
Nor will preventii)n be difficult provided the milk is prop- 
erly kept before it is serveil out, for all that is then re- 
quired is to maintain cleanliness of the feeding-vessels. 
And to this (:\\([, after they have been used they should be 
well rinsetl with cold soda- or lye-water, then filled with 
boiling water antl allowetl to stand upon the top, or in the 
oven, of a hot stove for ten minutes; by which means, 
and by none other, can they be maile perfectly clean and 
sweet, notwithstanding the ni)tion that the scalding pro- 
cess — merely pouring boiling water into them and at once 
out again — is quite sufficient. 

While this methoti should be invariably ap])lied in hot 
weather, breeders will do well to persist in it during other 
seasons, for one can never be too careful in his manage- 
ment of young puppies, especially in the matter of foods 
and all pertaining thereto, for even slight defects in them 
are likely to be felt, and oftentimes with fatal conse- 
quences. 

Attention tt) the skin and jacket is another matter for 
consideration while on the subject of cleanliness, but it 
need not long engage attention, for aside from keeping 
them free from fleas and lice, and grooming them with a 
brush every day after they are old enough to play about, 
puppies demand but little in this direction. Grooming, 
by the way, is advisable not alone because it stimulates 



MRS. E. M. WILLIAMS' SKYE TERRIERS. 





Silver Queen." 




Old Burgundy. 



EARLIEST PUPPYHOOD. 295 

them, favors cleanliness and nutrition of the skin and 
health of the hair, but because it leads to the early detec- 
tion of eczema, mange, or other troubles of this sort if any 
present themselves. As for washing, it is scarcely safe 
before the fourth month has been passed, because of the 
inevitable fright, more or less severe shock to the system, 
and danger of cold. Nor is it likely to be necessary 
earlier than this if the general management has been 
good and cleanliness maintained in the quarters. A safe 
rule to cover this point is to delay washing puppies until 
it is absolutely necessary, and then to resort to it no 
matter what the period of life, using always every precau- 
tion against chilling. 

As no better opportunity is likely to be afforded it is 
well now to call attention to the fact that large breeds at 
a very early age — even in the fifth or sixth week — some- 
times begin to be deformed in their legs or feet owing not 
only to the comparatively great weight of their bodies, 
but to a deficiency, in their composition, of bone-making 
materials. And this is especially liable to be the case if 
proper precautions are not taken with the mother before 
whelping and while nursing, which consist mainly of high- 
ly nutritious foods and the use of the precipitated phos- 
phate of lime, as advised in chapter "Before Whelping." 

There mav be actual rickets to account for the defor- 
mity, vet without this constitutional trouble the forelegs 
may bend inward or outward at the knees, — generally the 
latter, — the feet turn out, the hind legs become what is 
called cowhocked, or the pasterns give way, making the 
puppies walk on their ankles. 

If a puppy is healthy at birth, properly nourished by his 
mother and afterward wisely fed, and meanwhile given 
plenty of exercise and provided with good wholesome 
quarters, — dry, clean, well ventilated, etc., — there will be 



296 KENNEL SECRETS. 

but little, if any, danger of such deformities. But all 
these essential conditions are rarely present ; moreover, 
no small proportion of puppies have some inherent defect 
at birth, consequently to all of large breeds it is a wise 
plan to give the precipitated phosphate of lime for two or 
three months at least. And the use of this should be 
commenced about the seventh week provided no signs of 
deformity have been noted ; or if they appear earlier, it 
should be given as soon as it is indicated. A moderate 
dose of the drug is one-fourth of a teaspoonful, and one dose 
each day — with the last meal — will generally be sufficient, 
yet if deformity is threatened it should be given in the 
food twice daily, and the dose be increased to one-half 
a teaspoonful. 

It being a common custom in America to deliver at 
about the eighth week the puppies that have been pre- 
engaged, the subject of selection can properly be con- 
sidered in this chapter. 

Beginners, and some old fanciers perhaps, should be 
impressed with the fact that in breeding, as in all lines of 
business, to be financially successful they must establish 
reputations for fair dealing. And the first rule which 
they should fix is : Never sell a badly developed or badly 
formed puppy, or one that is really ailing, at any price. 

The importance of fhis it is scarcely necessary to em- 
phasize, for every puppy sold is a living advertisement, 
and even principle aside, no breeder can afford to have 
out against him bad ones in the form of unsound or crip- 
pled specimens. 

In some instances when puppies must inevitably turn 
out poorly they present evidences of the fact before they 
are eight weeks old, but except they are weaklings, have 
pronounced congenital deformities or are bad in markings, 
fatal defects, as acquired deformities, a snipy face, prick 



EARLIEST PUPPYHOOD. 297 

ear or the like, can seldom if ever be detected until a 
later age. But when any such defects are clearly evident, 
as a rule he is wisest in the end who destroys the victims, 
for although he might dispose of some of them for a few 
dollars, the sums received could scarcely compensate him 
for the risks he takes of endangering the reputation of 
his kennel. 

It is well to add here that if the unfortunates are more 
than two or three weeks old they should not be destroyed by 
drowning, but the dilute prussic acid should be given them, 
and not less than half a teaspoonful to the youngest and 
smallest victims, while to the others, four or five months 
of age, or older, the dose should be one teaspoonful. 

Although these doses are large they are none too large, 
for there must not be any failure in the attempt to 
destroy. 

It is the custom of not a few breeders, when they have 
very large litters that must be weeded out, to sacrifice the 
bitches whether or not they are superior to the dogs in 
size, form, markings, etc. There is, of course, a better 
market for their choice, but still such a hard-and-fast rule 
must be deplored, for far better a good bitch than an in- 
different dog even if the latter will sell for a trifle more. 
And when there are two doubtful specimens in a 
litter, a bitch and a dog, and one of them must go, the 
owner will do wisely to keep the former, for should she 
turn out but moderate she might still be of value for 
breeding purposes ; whereas the dog, if an indifferent 
specimen of his breed, would generally be hard to dispose 
of, would be practically shut out from bench shows, and 
seldom profitable as a stud. 

In fact it is a good plan always to keep what promises 
to be the best bitch in each litter until she is mature or at 
least so well developed that it is possible to tell with near 



298 KENNEL SECRETS. 

certainty how she will develop. And even if he who 
follows this sells all his dog puppies he will know whether 
or not he is breeding judiciously. 

To make good, judicious selections from large litters 
within the first week is impossible in most instances, for 
puppies often undergo rapid changes, and not infrequently 
the one which appears the least robust becomes the strong- 
est ere the weaning is reached. Considering this, in 
every case where the litter is too large for the mother to 
nurse safely and it must be weeded, he who is in doubt 
should try to nourish artificially what appears to him to be 
the poorest of it. 

As for minor defects, they sometimes remain concealed 
until the victims are well on towards maturity. In fact, in 
not a few mstances what has seemed to be the best puppy 
in the litter has fallen off between the sixth and eighth 
months and ultimately proved one of the poorest. In some 
instances, also, the least promising has even at a later age 
taken a tremendous stride in the way of improvement and 
jumped to the front rank. 

Manifestly, therefore, to make judicious selections early 
will never be easy, and oftentimes impossible except in the 
presence of deformities or decided feebleness, or on the 
basis of color and markings. However, he is not likely 
to fall into many and grievous mistakes who is influenced 
by the condition of health and outward appearance, and 
gives the preference to the best-looking as well as the 
hardiest and most active puppies. 

Some fanciers sell their poorest puppies first and keep 
their best until the last. This rule does not conflict with 
that laid down in the foregoing, — never allow bad speci- 
mens to go out at any price, — and it "can wisely be adhered 
to in the absence of contract, for in order to make breed- 
ing successful in a monetary sense it is necessary to put 



EARLIEST PUPPYHOOD. 299 

before the' public, at dog shows, unmistakable evidences of 
the worth of the stock in use. Moreover, puppies of un- 
usual merit gain rapidly in value as age progresses ; and as 
kennels but seldom prove profitable, the breeders, of all 
others, deserve the happy " windfalls." 

As stated, the age at which puppies that have been 
pre-engaged are generally shipped from the kennels is the 
eighth week ; which is none too early, because in most 
cases the earlier a puppy is m his new home the better for 
him and others concerned, since the purchaser, if having 
but one dog to care for, can give him much better treatment 
than he would likely receive in his old home ; moreover, 
under ordinary conditions, when alone a puppy thrives far 
better, has higher health and is much less liable to fall a 
victim to disease than while with his mates. 

This fact deserves to be dwelt upon in the interests of 
breeders who are often inclined to refuse fair offers and 
allow their puppies to accumulate that they may be sure 
of the best among them. Such policy rarely proves other- 
wise than short-sighted, for with dogs, young or old, as 
with members of the human family, the nearer they live 
to each other the greater the danger of sickness ; and where 
four, five or more are quartered together, the death rate, 
as in tenement houses, must mevitably be higher than 
where there is less crowding. Again, strangely perhaps, 
even at the same prices oftentimes puppies of average 
merit are in greater demand when two or three months 
old than others twice this age. Then there is the cost 
of keeping *to be considered, and this is by no means a 
trifling item. Finally, specimens of exceeding merit 
and considerable value are "few and far between, " and 
one might breed a long time even with the best of stock 
before he materialized a wonder. And even such happy 
result mio^ht bring him greater gain in the hands of another. 



300 



KENNEL SECRETS. 



Hence it is advisable for breeders to dispose of the most 
of their young stock as speedily as possible, and even let 
their choicest go when good prices are offered, unless of 
course they are sure winners of the blue, in which event 
the question of selling should be considered long and 
well. 

A word further as to shipping puppies. It is not becom- 
ing a breeder to use store boxes and other two-penny, 
unsightly and uncomfortable affairs unless they are prop- 
erly built over ; and really it is more economical, and far 
more to his credit, to have crates made for him, costing as 
they do but a mere trifle. Or if his puppies are of large 
size he will do well to provide himself with wicker ham- 
pers; and those used in nnporting seltzer and other mineral 
waters will often do nicely. With a piece of carpeting in 
the bottom and a little straw over it, one of these is ready 
for a puppy, and besides being of light weight, ample in 
size, capable of good ventilation and yet affording protec- 
tion from draughts, it cannot be packed too closely with 
other baggage on account of its barrel-like shape. 

In a suitable crate — made as light-weight as possible 
always — to which is attached a feeding-pan, and ample 
directions as to the hours of feeding and the quantity to 
be given at each meal, a puppy barely eight weeks old 
ought to make several days' journey and reach his desti- 
nation in good condition. 

There are so many absurd notions about teething the 
subject is deserving of at least brief consideration here. 

As the permanent teeth are developed they cause absorp- 
tion in the roots of the first and temporary teeth, which 
eventually become loose, and when so they have fulfilled 
their purpose and can properly be extracted. Yet instru- 
ments ought not to be used on them except in rare cases, for 
when it is time for them to come out they can be easily 




mr. willoughby holdsworth's 
"king of Diamonds." 



Mr. Thomas T. Craven's 
" Mayor of Leeds.' ' 




MR.T. I. BALLANTINE'S 

Lord Clover.' ' 



seminole kennels' 
"bonsor." ' 



EARLIEST PUPPYHOOD. 30I 

removed by firm pressure to one side with the thumb or 
forefinger. 

Some writers have urged extraction of old teeth before 
they have loosened in all cases where they appear likely to 
displace the new, thinking thereby to prevent irregularity 
in the permanent. But this is not advisable, because in- 
stead of obviating threatened deformity it is quite sure to 
increase the danger of it, for if an old tooth is extracted 
before the new one is well formed and pushing it out, the 
teeth at the sides of it will encroach upon the, vacant space, 
and finally when the new one tries to come through it finds 
its rightful way difficult or blocked, and pushes through 
where it can do so the most easily, but outside of the line 
of the other teeth. 

Consequently, as a rule, only when the old teeth are 
loosened and must soon fall out if left to themselves should 
they be removed. 

As for the notion that convulsions or other serious 
results are caused by swallowing teeth, that is all moon- 
shine, for the tooth of a puppy is not at all likely to meet 
with any difficulty or excite any disturbance in its transit 
through the body. 

There remain to be considered docking and the removal 
of dew-claws, and as the writer is without experience in 
either he has turned to his friend, H. Clay Glover, D.V.S., 
of New York, who has kindly responded with the follow- 
ing brief discussion : — 

The practice of docking, which has been in vogue many 
years, does not in any way add to the utility of the dog, 
and the only object of it is improvement in the appear- 
ance of the animal. The breeds generally subjected to 
the operation are cocker, clumber and field spaniels, all 
varieties of toy spaniels, airedale, Welsh, Irish and fox 
terriers, and a few other breeds, including the bob-tail 



302 KENNEL SECRETS. 

sheep dog, which is not, as some suppose, generally born 
without full length of tail, although occasional instances 
of its being wanting very likely occur. 

An old practice was that of removing two, three or 
more joints from the tails of pointers and setters, the 
reason advanced being that they were less liable to keep 
the ends sore from whipping m the brush. But this has 
fortunately fallen into disuse. 

Docking is best done about the tenth day after birth, 
as the bone is then scarcely more than cartilage, and only 
trifling hemorrhage results. The operation consists in 
simply removing as much of the tail as desired, and by 
the means of very blunt scissors, that the tendons may be 
drawn out — not severed as would be the case were a 
sharp instrument employed. And drawing the tendons 
leads to a lower carriage of the tail, which is desirable, as 
most of the short-tail kind are inclined to carry this appen- 
dage too high. 

In docking mature animals and a nice finish is desired, 
an incision should be made obliquely on both sides of the 
tail, which should then be unjointed, the lateral sacral 
artery taken up and the edges of the flaps drawn and 
stitched together. After which the patient should be 
muzzled to prevent his disturbing the stitches. While 
operating, the tail should be very tightly ligated at the 
base to obviate hemorrhage. In dressing the wound the 
ordinary antiseptic precautions should be taken, as after 
all operations. 

Dew-claws are sirnply supplementary toes on the insides 
of the hind legs, slightly above the feet. There was a 
time when some value was attached to them in St. Ber- 
nards by authorities and breeders, it being held that they 
were of assistance to these animals and prevented their 
breaking through the snow. They were also considered 



EARLIEST PUPPYHOOD. 303 

an evidence of good breeding. Yet they are of no possi- 
ble benefit to the dog ; in fact they are a detriment, liable 
as they are to become torn and sore from contact with ice, 
briers or sharp grass. Moreover, these claws are singu- 
larly inclined to cut into the flesh, since not being in use 
like the other claws they are not worn down. 

Dew-claws appearing in other than St. Bernards are 
regarded with suspicion by some as evidence of impure 
breeding. But this is a mistaken notion, for they may 
appear on any breed of dogs, even of the bluest blood. 
And in my opinion they should be removed in all instances. 
As for double dew-claws, I consider them not only useless 
but hideous monstrosities, which tend to turn the feet out 
and the hocks in — or at least they appear to do this in 
large breeds. Furthermore, the legs have a much cleaner 
and more trim look without them. 

The removal of dew-claws should be effected shortly 
after weaning and the puppies have been separated from 
their mother, who might disturb or tear off the bandages. 
If merely fastened to the skin they may be clipped with 
sharp scissors ; and this instrument will answer every pur- 
pose even when they are attached to tendons. But when 
fixed to the canon — metatarsal bone — it will be neces- 
sary to dissect them from the bone ; in doing which the 
operator should avoid the internal saphenous vein. And 
were this accidentally cut it should be ligated. 

If the wound is of sufficient importance the edges 
should be stitched together and a bandage applied ; and 
the same should be kept on until healing has occurred, 
which usually requires from seven to ten days. Some do 
not bandage after the operation, but it should be the rule, 
for the purpose of keeping the wound clean and its edges 
together. A rubber ligature around the leg above the 
hock will generally be advisable while operating in diffi- 
cult cases. 








CHAPTER VII. 



TRAINING. 

Training is a wide subject, and of much too great 
importance to warrant mere touch, as would only be pos- 
sible in this book ; moreover, there are but few men 
capable of handling it as it deserves, for an accurate 
knowledge of one department simply — -that which bears 
upon field work — can be acquired only by those en- 
dowed with eminent qualities, and after years of personal 
observation and practical experience. The writer might, 
of course, wander over this vast field and point out some 
of the landmarks, but there are others more familiar with 
many parts of it than he ; hence he limits his efforts to 
general rules and admonitions that will favor correct 
every-day behavior and habits in and about the home, and 
urges the reader who has a dog that he wishes to train 
for special work to provide himself with a guide in the 
form of a treatise by some recognized authority. 

The education of puppies may commence at a very early 
age, but efforts must for the first few months be largely 
directed to the cultivation of specific virtues, as cleanli- 
ness, obedience, etc. And while aiming to make the 
exercise of these virtues habitual, bad habits must be 
anticipated and prevented if possible. 

304 



TRAINING. 



305 



Puppies that have yards connected with their kennels 
and they are accessible day and night, soon become vol- 
untarily cleanly ; and until they do so the droppings should 
be removed once or twice daily and the floors treated to 
a deodorizer. 

House-breaking should never be thought of during cold 
weather, as cleanliness in habit is then out of the question, 
for in order to promote it a puppy must be put out of 
doors not less often than once an hour. Nor must he be 
permitted to pass a night in the house before he is five or 
six months old ; at which age this virtue will ordinarily 
have become fixed if invariably practised during the day. 
And in the absence of a convenient outbuilding for sleep- 
ing quarters he should be put into some other room than 
that which he is allowed to occupy during the day, to- 
gether with a shallow box of sawdust or dry earth, to 
which he will soon learn to turn, provided for a few nights 
it holds one of his droppings. 

A custom of many people who attempt to teach pup- 
pies neatness is to bedabble their noses with filth and 
toss them out of doors. It ought not to be necessary to 
urge that this is as stupid as it is nasty, and that the 
infliction is no more effectual than a scolding adminis- 
tered while the offender is held close to the soiled spot. 
Accepting the facts that dogs inherently are far from 
being filthy animals, that they are uncleanly in their 
habits only when their natural tendencies have been per- 
verted by restraint or neglect, also, that they are capable 
of some understanding at a very earl\' age, such' beastly 
practices as this will never be indulged in by people of 
sense who undertake to teach them correct deportment. 

It is a well-known maxim that first impressions strike 
the deepest. And he who assumes the education of a 
puppy will do well to keep this ever in mind. Beginners 



306 KENNEL SECRETS. 

who are not breeders are, as a rule, at fault in the intro- 
duction of puppies to their new homes, where they are 
generally cordially welcomed and made much of by all in 
the family, and when night comes given places in the 
kitchen, the basement, or, perhaps, in the sleeping-rooms 
of some of the younger members. Innocently enough, 
being unbroken, they prove something of a nuisance, but 
are usually tolerated for a few nights, when becoming too 
much of an infliction they are put into the wood-shed or 
other outbuilding to sleep. Against this treatment a 
vigorous protest naturally follows, and oftener than other- 
wise it is successful ere midnight, and they are brought 
back to the quarters to which they had so soon grown 
habituated. 

The writer has found it only a pleasure to share his 
comforts with his humble friends ; in fact, during the last 
ten years not less than four of them have lived under his 
roof, where they have been literally as much at home as 
himself ; manifestly, therefore, he has no prejudice against 
allowing dogs in the house. But the line must be drawn 
at unbroken puppies, or at least all such should be ex- 
cluded nights until habits of cleanliness have become 
fixed. 

At once after reaching their new homes puppies should 
in every instance be put mto kennels or other quarters 
prepared for them, and for forty-eight hours they should 
see but little of their new owners except at feeding times ; 
at the end of which period they will have become accus- 
tomed to their changed surroundings and quite content 
with them. More than likely, of course, they will cry 
during the first night, but it being accepted that nothing 
will pacify them except companionship they should be left 
absolutely to themselves, to "have it out." 

Very short visits to the house should be the rule at first, 



BLACK PUGS. 




r 



^i.Sfe -^«»»«*t"*-. 




Miss ROBINSON'S LITTLE NAP." MRS. FIFIELD'S DOATIE DARLING. 

BLACK CORDED POODLE. 




Lady De Clifford's Joe II. 



TRAINING. 



307 



and where this is observed puppies will soon be free from 
their most, objectionable habit. And cleanliness estab- 
lished, one of the greatest difficulties has been over- 
come, while what is to follow will be comparatively easy if 
good judgment, patience and perseverance are invariably 
exhibited. 

Dogs are not human, yet they are not far removed, and 
that they are capable of reasoning at a very early age is 
plainly evident from the fact that invariably when ad- 
mitted on the same footing to several persons they single 
out some one for whom they show a marked preference. 
The infant barely six weeks old, and while still a stranger 
to the world, will respond to human expression, for a 
smiling air or cooing sound raises a smile to his lips, 
showing that sympathy is already at work. So it is with 
the puppy. While yet his brain is comparatively inert he 
is accessible to influences, whether kindly or unkindly, 
and these impress him more and more forcibly as he 
grows older. Therefore, m efforts to teach him and reg- 
ulate his conduct, as with the child, there should be habit- 
ually exhibited those qualities which the educator desires 
him to possess. In other words, that he may be kind, 
gentle, affectionate, intelligent and courageous, he must 
grow up under a master or mistress who is naturally all 
this, or whose conflicting humors are under wholesome 
restraint. 

There is no difficulty in fixing the time at which the 
education of a puppy should commence, for a person of in- 
telligence can always detect when the little one is capable 
of reasoning. This stage reached, he should be subjected 
to salutary restraint and prevented if possible from acquir- 
ing bad habits. Moreover, every time he falls very far 
from grace he should be at once corrected for it. The 
reader must not assume from this that rigid propriety is 



308 KENNEL SECRETS. 

to be enforced or severe punishment inflicted for every 
breach. The idea that the writer desires to convey is, 
that precisely the same methods of restraint and correc- 
tion — and no more exacting" — -should be employed with 
him that a wise parent would employ with her child 
while yet it was strong in impulses but poor in will-power. 
In a word, let the first treatment which is administered to 
a puppy be much the same as that which reason tells is 
right and proper for a child between one and two years 
of age. 

Puppies acquire powers of discernment with very great 
rapidity, and where they are much with their masters or 
mistresses they are soon able to detect changes in humor 
by the voice, hence are almost, if not quite, as easily 
influenced as a child; and when they do wrong a mild 
scolding and a tap of the hand will generally be sufficient 
penalty. 

Perversity and self-will are, of course, inevitable in all 
higher orders of animals, and unless held in check until 
reason asserts itself they are sure to warp the nature and 
make no end of trouble in the future ; therefore, obedi- 
ence is a quality that must be fixed at the earliest possible 
age. Nor will this be difficult if correct methods are 
employed, although, unfortunately, many who attempt the 
training of puppies strav at this point, and by impatience 
and severity break their spirits if their tempers are mild, 
or if they are unusually obstinate, render them more 
wilfull as well as dull and surly. 

It is not too much to say that all puppies under judicious 
management from the first can be thoroughly trained 
and governed ever afterward by kindness, for surely no 
other animals are endowed with natures so affectionate, 
honest and loyal as their kind ; and with these qualities 
an anxiety to please can never be found wanting. Con- 



TRAINING. 309 

sidering which, no sounder advice than this can be given 
beginners : Open the way to this natural disposition to 
please. Be ever kind and patient v/ith your charges. 
Never give an order either in or out of the house without 
making them obey — provided always you are sure that 
they understand what you want. Emphasize your orders 
by pointing or other motions which they can interpret. 
Speak encouragingly but firmly — never much above a 
conversational tone if it will reach them — and as briefly 
as possible, else you will confuse them. Let your man- 
ner slightly increase in earnestness as they are about to 
obey and while doing so. And when each required act 
has been performed show your approval by a few pats on 
the head or some toothsome morsel. A_bove all avoid 
nagging, expect nothing unreasonable, and let your lessons 
and orders be as few and far between as possible at 
first, otherwise your puppies may regard you in the light 
of an infliction. 

There are times when puppies, no matter how obedient 
usually, are likely to prove irrtractable, and at such the 
easiest way out of the difficulty is the best. For in- 
stance, if a puppy, brimful of vitality and play, is on 
a romp with an acquaintance of his kind he is scarcely 
likely to respond to a call uttered several hundred yards 
away ; consequently his master, if intelligent, would natu- 
rally withhold it until he had gone near enough to be 
able to enforce obedience. Here, again, many beginners 
stumble badly by severely whipping their puppies when 
they fail to respond ; in consequence of which treatment 
for a long time afterwards they very generally run from 
them on like occasions ; whereas the only sensible 
method to be employed under these conditions is to 
catch the culprit by the collar and gently lead or draw 
him in the direction from which the call was sent. 



3IO KENNEL SECRETS. 

rebuking him meanwhile, and after proceeding a short 
distance stop and reassure him with a few pats ; then, 
for a time, to be even more kindly demonstrative than 
usual. Teasing and over-petting are also errors that 
beginners are especially liable to fall into, the one inevi- 
tably injuring the temper and exciting aversion towards 
the offender, while the other is absolutely incompatible 
with implicit obedience. 

The importance of instilling good habits at the earliest 
possible age is by no means always appreciated by those 
who undertake the education of puppies, and frequently 
traits are encouraged that sooner or later must prove 
extremely annoying. One of these is, emphasizing every 
affectionate greeting with the forefeet — an act which, of 
course, no person neatly dressed can tolerate. This ten- 
dency seems quite uncontrollable during the first few 
weeks of life, yet it can soon ho. overcome if "patience and 
firmness are exhibited from the first, and the forefeet of 
the offender are invariably tapped and he is forced back 
on all fours. But assuming that a puppy has reached his 
sixth or seventh month and this bad habit exists, the 
following method, recommended by Mr. Waters in his 
most valuable work, " Modern Training and Handling," 
should be resorted to : When the puppy places his fore- 
feet upon the person, grasp a foot gently but firmly in 
each hand, speaking to him in the blandest tones and the 
choicest pet phrases, the manner being the perfection of 
kindness, at the same time stepping on his hind feet just 
hard enough to pinch them. He will soon endeavor to 
break away, notwithstanding the kindness of manner ; 
but the punishment should be continued a few minutes 
before releasing him. Soon thereafter call him up and 
repeat the lesson. Usually two or three of these simple 
lessons are ample. He cannot then be induced to put his 



^■ 








MR. BERNARD WATERS, 
Chicago, III. 



TRAININ'G. 



311 



feet on the person. Occasionally, at long intervals, he 
may forget himself for a moment, but the slightest 
reminder adjusts him to instant correctness. 

The habit of barking is another extremely unpleasant 
fault, and once settled it is scarcely possible to overcome 
it except by the whip, which it must be borne in mind 
should never be used except at the immediate time of the 
offence. 

A few words here regarding corporal punishment. 
Undeniably in some instances it is salutary, but as a rule 
it is absolutely pernicious ; moreover, the infinite majority 
of dogs can be governed by kindness purely. And cer- 
tainly nothing approaching nearer such punishment than 
smart taps with the hand should ever be administered to 
young puppies. After the sixth or seventh month, where 
mild measures fail the only proper means of correction is 
the whip, but the use of it even then can be justifiable 
only after acts of positive disobedience and wilfulness ; 
and before maturity severe applications of it are rarely 
ever required. The writer has never found occasion to 
resort to the whip, for suasion has always proved potent 
with him, yet he has noted some instances where had he 
been the owner of the dogs he would have applied it, and 
perhaps vigorously. In all these, however, manifestly 
there had been a woful lack of proper management during 
early life. 

While the opponents to the use of the whip are many, 
it is a significant fact that none of the notable trainers 
appear in their ranks ; and what is still more surprising, 
with no small proportion of these same people who de- 
nounce it kicking is the popular substitute. It ought not 
to be necessary to urge that neither this nor the use of 
the broom handle or like instrument is ever pardonable, 
nor will they suggest themselves to other than brutes. 



312 KENNEL SECRETS. 

Beyond being accustomed to wearing a collar and led 
about, taught to come when called by name, lie down, 
and obey a few other common orders, puppies of non- 
sporting breeds do not require any formal course of train- 
ing, for if they are given their liberty from the very first 
and admitted often to the house, are much in the com- 
pany of the members of the family, and restrained or en- 
couraged as is necessary, they will, if naturally intelligent, 
in time not only acquire surprisingly good manners but 
very nice discrimination. Nature is not, of course, alike 
bountiful to all, nor are all puppies equally gifted with 
powers of observation, but the infinite majority when un- 
der favorable conditions can, as said, be safely left much 
to themselves to learn by association. 

The foolish notion is very prevalent that puppies in- 
tended as guards should be put on the chain at a very 
early age that they may know none others than the mem- 
bers of their own families. As a matter of fact such 
treatment dulls understanding as well as warps body and 
limbs, and the victims become in consequence merely 
noisy and dangerous machines. A puppy can never be 
made a good, safe and efficient guard by any such means 
as this, and instead of being put into seclusion he should 
be given the liberty of his master's premises, where it will 
be possible for his instincts and faculties to develop. 
Meeting then all classes of callers he will soon learn from 
the manner of his people and by outward signs, as dress, 
speech, etc., to discriminate between those to be readily 
admitted and others who should be regarded with sus- 
picion. He should also be widely introdriced to his own 
kind, a familiarity with which begets courage and an easy, 
self-confident bearing. 

To teach all puppies, of whatever breeds, to retrieve is 
always a wise plan, for the accomplishment can be utilized 



TRAINIXG. 



13 



in exercising even if not absolutely an essential part of 
the education. But this is within the province upon which 
the writer does not care to intrude, and he advises all 
who would train their dogs to provide themselves with 
the book already alluded to, " Modern Training and Hand- 
ling," from the pen of Mr. B. Waters, who is the acknowl- 
edged authority on field trials, handling and kindred 
subjects. 





CHAPTER VIII. 



INTESTINAL PARASITES. 



The species of worm with whicli puppies are most often 
infested is the Ascaris marginata, called also the Ascaris 
lunibidcoidcs and round worm, which has a certain super- 
ficial resemblance to the common earth-worm, or what 
boys in the country are accustomed to term angler's worm. 
This is cylindrical, tapers at both extremities, is slightly 
pinkish in color, and under the knife, unless the same is. 
very sharp, offers considerable resistance, and when mature 
cuts like India-rubber. Full growth having been attained 
it is from two to six inches in length ; but the worms 
found in puppies under four weeks of age usually measure 
from two to four inches. And they much resemble pieces 
of cotton twine. 

It is not positively known in what ways puppies acquire 
worms, but it is highly probable that they oftentimes 
swallow the eggs and larvae directly, also take them up 
with their food and drink. And certainly very generally 
the most favorable opportunities for infection are afforded, 
as will appear from the following : — 

The esfcrs are laid in the intestines of their hosts and 
expelled with the waste matters, in great numbers and 
sometimes in great masses, and once in the world they 

314 



INTESTINAL PARASITES. 315 

retain their vitality for a long time. But after being 
expelled it is necessary for these eggs to mature, and con- 
ditions favorable for their doing so are found in faecal mat- 
ter, water or damp places ; and this essential stage of 
development having been completed all is in readiness for 
the final stage. Now let the eggs be taken up and enter 
the stomach, and the young worms will burst the shells 
and speedily mature. 

Such, in brief, is the course of infection with this worm; 
and considering the ease with which it occurs it is not at 
all surprising that puppies rarely escape it. 

A mother harboring the pests is constantly throwing 
out of her body immense numbers of eggs, and these are 
deposited about in her kennel and yard, in which, even if 
the faecal matter is removed daily, some are sure to be left 
and find here and there, upon the floor, sleeping-bench 
and ground, the moisture which is necessary for their 
development. Ignoring the danger of self-reinfection, and 
assuming that she herself has been treated for worms and 
all have been expelled, she must inevitably take immense 
numbers of these eggs up in her coat and carry them with 
her wherever she goes. Consequently, if removed from 
her usual quarters to whelp, her new quarters must soon 
become infested, the eggs being deposited over the floor, 
on her bedding, etc. 

Clearly there is now absolutely nothing to prevent her 
puppies from ingesting these eggs, even during the first 
days of life, and swallowing them directly from her breasts, 
hair, bedding or the floor ; and even did infection not 
occur in this way it must subsequently occur through the 
food or drinking water, from which it would be simply 
impossible to keep the eggs, scattered about in such abun- 
dance. 

Considering the size which worms in puppies have usu- 



3l6 KEN A EL SECRETS. 

ally attained by the third week, it is evident that infec- 
tion very generally occurs early in the first week ; and 
such being the case the eggs must be swallowed directly, 
the same being lodged upon the mother, her bedding, etc. 

Now will be seen the reasons for the advice, given in a 
previous chapter, that the bitch in pup be freed from worms 
if possible, and she and her quarters be thoroughly cleaned 
and disinfected a day or two before whelping. And the 
importance of these measures cannot be too strongly urged, 
for they will do much to protect puppies from their 
deadliest foes. 

Undeniably cleanliness is the most potent safeguard 
against infection by worms, and if breeders will drive them 
out of their mature dogs and afterwards keep their ken- 
nels and yards clean, their puppies will be far less frequent 
victims of them than under less favorable conditions. 
Furthermore, if their little ones then become infested it 
will likely be with comparatively small numbers only, 
which, as a rule, are much less dangerous to life than large 
numbers. 

F2fforts to secure cleanliness should include disinfection 
of the mother's intestinal discharges in the whelping-room 
and quarters subsequently occupied by her and her little 
ones, the fact being duly appreciated that she might be 
harboring worms and not manifest any suspicious signs. 
And for this purpose quicklime should always be at hand 
to be dropped on the waste ; and that removed, the soiled 
floor should be washed with boiling water, by which 
means all ova not touched by the lime would be speedily 
destroyed. 

The symptoms manifested by worms very generally 
depend not so much upon the mere presence of the 
lodgers as upon the accompanying and peculiar condition 
of the mucous membrane of the alimentary canal. And 





MR. JONAS FOSTER 
BRADFORD. ENG. 



INTESTINAL PARASITES. 317 

this is one of irritation with an excessive production of 
mucus ; which secretion would seem essential to their 
development and existence. 

When worms are present in large numbers very much if 
not all of the internal surface of the intestines is, as a rule, 
irritated and shares in this mucous flux, but when the 
numbers are small, portions of it only are very greatly 
affected ; and these are in proximity to the pests. 

If only a small number of round worms, three or four, 
perhaps, were present and the victim well on the way to, 
or had passed, maturity, they would scarcely give rise to 
very marked symptoms. On the other hand, were he in 
the first months of life and the number small, even, they 
would likely prejudice his health ; while were they 
numerous they would surely start a long train of evils 
which would be very liable to end in death. 

One of the earliest evidences of the presence of worms 
is the appearance, in the intestinal discharges, of mucus, 
which people are wont to term " slime." This manifested, 
although at first the bowels may move with normal fre- 
quency, or even be less free than usual, with very young 
puppies certainly it is seldom long before diarrhoea sets 
in, in consequence of the irritation of the presence of the 
worms. 

Now this symptom, diarrhoea, beyond pointing to worms 
as the cause, presents peculiarities which are instructive, 
for they indicate with some degree of certainty whether 
or not the number of the parasites within is large or small. 
For instance, if the number is large the diarrhoea is gen- 
erally persistent ; that is, it occurs day after day, and 
the discharges are thin, scanty, and largely made up of 
mucus, which is usually reddish in color and voided 
with some difficulty, as evinced by straining. On the other 
hand, if the number of worms is comparatively small the 



3l8 KEA'NEL SECJUrrS. 

diarrhoea is, as a rule, less persistent, and may be present 
for a day and then disappear, not to return ag'ain for several 
days or perhaps a week or more. Usually, also, the mueus, 
while possibly quite abundant, is colorless or only slightly 
pinkish, and rarely is it of as deep red color as in the first 
instance. 

This reddish color, by the way, is due to blood which 
has been forced into the mucous and submucous tissues, 
and its presence is evidence that the internal surface of 
the intestines is inflamed. Moreover, the deeper the color 
the more intense and extensive this inflammation. 

The appetite of a puppy harboring a considerable num- 
ber of worms generally fails at first, then becomes capri- 
cious, being now almost absent, and again well-nigh 
insatiable. 

This calls to mind the absurd notion that the increased 
desire for food in these cases is occasioned by the clamor 
of the worms for better support. This is far from the 
truth, for the change is partly due to a morbid craving 
excited by the irritation which is caused by the fer- 
menting contents of the stomach and intestines, diges- 
tion always being slow where these pests abound, 
and partly to the demand of the tissues generally 
for more nutriment than is supplied by the imperfect 
digestion anti impeded absorption ; while the defects in 
digestion and absorption are due to the mucous flux 
already alluded to, which, covering the internal surface of 
the intestinal canal, not only obstructs the flow of diges- 
tive fluids but the absorption and passage of the food ele- 
ments into circulation. 

Abdominal distention is always marked where there is 
any considerable trouble caused by worms, and although 
the victim may eat but a very moderate quantity he bloats 
up with astonishing rapidity, the distention being due to 



TOY SPANIELS. 





Mrs. Thompsons Blenheim, 
"dandy." 



Mrs. THOMPSON'S Ruby, 
"ruby Princess." 




Mr. WM. PHILLIPS' PRINCE CHARLES, KING OF THE FANCY.' 




MRS. R. L. CRAWFORD Jr. 'S JAPANESE, 

"tootsie." 



MRS. F. Senn's King Charles, 
"romeo." 



INTESTINAL PARASITES. 319 

gas. Vomiting also occurs at times, and in occasional 
instances worms are expelled in this way. 

Obviously, with worms interfering with digestion and 
nutrition a victim cannot long hold his own. As a matter 
of fact, evidence is soon manifested that he is not thriving 
as he ought, and even in quite mild cases the skin very 
generally lacks natural softness and elasticity and the coat 
is dry and rough, while in severe cases these changes are 
all more pronounced, and the hair sometimes falls out in 
patches, the mucous membrane of the mouth is pale, show- 
ing a poverty of blood, there are emaciation and lack of 
strength, and in some cases complete paralysis of the hind 
legs. 

But the worst remains to be told. Worms often cause 
death either by sapping the strength of their victims, 
intestinal obstruction, convulsions, secondary affections, or 
boring through the intestines. And while there is no 
knowing which of these causes is the most frequent, there 
is reason for believing that the latter is not the least so. 

As a rule, the anatomical characters presented after 
death by round worms are, redness, swelling and softening 
of the lining membrane of the intestines. These changes 
may be limited to small patches, but oftener they extend 
over considerable portions of the internal surface. The 
lining membrane is also covered with a tenacious mucus, 
which is either colorless or of a pinkish or brownish red 
hue ; while if perforation has occurred there appears on 
close examination a small opening, oval in shape, in the 
intestinal wall and generally through the base of a gland. 

Now to consider the measures of treatment required by 
young puppies infested with worms. Although very 
many drugs have been credited with anthelmintic proper- 
ties the list has been shortening rapidly of late years, and 
at the present time powdered areca nut, santonin and the 



320 KENNEL SECRETS. 

oils of wormseed and male fern are mainly relied upon. 
These are highly efficacious and safe when wisely employed. 
But all are to a certain extent absorbed by the system, 
some depress it more than others, and all have peculiar 
properties which specially recommend them for certain 
kinds of worms, consequently that the best results may be 
attained from their use the writer will dwell upon them at 
considerable length. 

While in occasional instances puppies are seriously dis- 
turbed and even destroyed by worms before they have 
passed the third week, as a rule these dangerous tenants do 
not give positive evidence of their presence until after the 
weaning, which seems to have rather an exasperating effect 
upon them. And but for this tendency to delav to make 
themselves felt the mortality from them must be infinitely 
greater than it is now, for puppies previous to the period 
stated are yet feeble and poorly able to withstand the 
effects of simple drugs, much less those of depressing 
vermifuges. 

Nor is it expedient to try to relieve nursing puppies of 
worms by the means of drugs given the mother and sent 
out to them through her milk. Theoretically this plan 
seems sound, but practically it is a failure. As a matter 
of fact, while some medicines enter the milk the number 
of such is much smaller than generally supposed. Again, 
the proportional quantities of those that appear in that 
secretion are very much less than accepted ; and really 
only the most powerful drugs acting through the milk 
would have any decided effect upon the nursing off- 
spring. 

Take turpentine, for instance, that is r adily absorbed 
from the intestinal canal and from the lungs. But it is 
eliminated by the breath and kidneys, and only a very small 
proportion of it enters the milk. And assuming that a 



INTESTINAL PARASITES. 32 1 

nursing mother is given one-half a teaspoonful of this oil 
twice daily for several days, not enough of it would reach 
the puppies to have any anthelmintic effect. Further- 
more, to give even this dose of turpentine and repeat each 
day for several days would be hazardous with most 
mothers ; and certainly doses large enough to furnish the 
milk with the quantity necessary to destroy worms in the 
puppies would likely greatly injure the parent organism. 

Very generally it is between the fifth and seventh weeks 
that positive symptoms of worms first appear. And duly 
recognizing the fact that the liability to infection is great, 
also that a large proportion of puppies suffer from the 
pests, breeders generally hold that all should be given 
worm medicine near the eighth week, whether or not they 
present suspicious signs. 

Notwithstanding that the liability and danger are all 
that breeders assume, such an iron rule is open to objec- 
tions. For instance, were the bitch the only one of her 
kind in a family, or had she no more than one or two 
mates, and none were quartered in kennels, but all had 
places by the kitchen fire, and there the whelping had 
occurred and she and her little ones had been kept until 
the weaning, then to apply this rule and dose for worms 
in the absence of symptoms would scarcely be advisable, 
for the chances are many that under such happy, cleanly 
conditions the puppies would not be infested, or if they 
were the number of worms would be too small to do great 
harm. 

But, on the other hand, had the mother several mates, 
all were kept in kennels, and the whelping occurred in 
quarters which t^ad been frequented by other dogs, then it 
would be far too much to expect that the puppies had 
escaped infection, and the rule in question could properly 
be applied. 



322 KENNEL SECRETS. 

Here it is well to consider briefly the various estimates 
put upon the danger of treatment for worms. Some hold 
that judiciously selected and wisely applied, such treat- 
ment can do no harm if it fails to do good. Others, how- 
ever, believe it to be somewhat hazardous with young 
puppies, no matter its nature or how carefully adminis- 
tered. Those who hold to the first are right provided the 
patients have passed the eighth week ; and those at the 
other extreme are also right if the little ones are under 
this age. That is, all who dose puppies under eight weeks 
of age run some risk of killing them, but with older pup- 
pies death from suitable vermifuges is scarcely likely to 
occur. 

But while there is danger in dosing puppies that are not 
yet two months old, it is very slight, and if the medicines 
are wisely chosen and given in proper quantities, it is 
doubtful if there is any beyond that of intestinal stoppage. 
Even this is extremely rare, and never occurs unless the 
patient is harboring an immense number of worms ; in 
which case the parasites are suddenly aroused into unusual 
activity and carried rapidly downward by the action of the 
bowels, until before the outlet is reached there is an accu- 
mulation of them which dams up the passage. 

Now, this accident will scarcely happen except in very 
young puppies in which all the powers are low, and which 
are only capable of a slight expulsive effort, and even this 
is lessened by the pain excited by the unwonted activity 
of the worms when the medicine first reaches them ; 
whereas older puppies, having much greater strength, 
would under such conditions expedite the removal of 
the worms by constant straining, and so prevent their 
massing. 

Considering these simple facts, the conclusion is justi- 
fied that worm medicines should not be given to puppies 



INTESTINAL PARASITES. 323 

that have not reached the eighth week unless quite 
pronounced symptoms of worms have been manifested. 
Also, that instead of dosing all puppies as soon as, or 
shortly after, they have reached this age, exceptions 
should be made of little ones born of house pets and 
kept in clean quarters ; in whom evidences of worms are 
never likely to be overlooked, since it is necessary to 
renew the lining of their basket or box several times 
daily, and mucous discharges or worms expelled must be 
at once noted. 

But where puppies are born in kennels and these signs 
of worms are not likely to be detected promptly, to give 
a vermifuge soon after the eighth week would probably 
be advisable ; and yet he whose puppies were thriving 
well and free from all signs of the pests would often be 
the gainer by waiting a week or two before applying the 
"worming treatment." 

The first vermifuge to be given puppies is wormseed 
oil ; and this failing, santonin should be tried. 

It occurs here that there is quite prevalent a mistaken 
idea about santonin which it will be well to uncover before 
going further. This notion is, that no matter how san- 
tonin is given — whether the crystals alone, in powders or 
solutions — it has invariably the same effect. As a matter 
of fact this drug as ordinarily administered is dissolved by 
the gastric juice ; and the solution takes place so rapidly 
that even large doses are generally absorbed in the stomach 
and do not enter the intestines, the habitat of the worms. 
Obviously, therefore, it should not be given in powder, 
for much, if not all, of it would be taken up in the circula- 
tion, and failing to reach the worms — turning out of its 
course as it were to avoid them — its vermicidal effects 
would be largely, if not entirely, wasted. Moreover, by 
this rapid absorption its constitutional and poisonous effect 



324 KENNEL SECRETS. 

upon the patient would be greatlv intensified. And here 
appears the reason \vh\- santonin in the hands of some is 
singularly prone to cause convulsions in puppies. 

In order to reduce to the utmost the liability of this 
accident, also that the santonin mav reach the worms, it 
must be administered in some agent which will practically 
float it through the stomach and keep it intact until it gets 
into the intestines where the worms are located. Water 
certainly will not serve the purpose, for it has been shown 
by experiments that santonin crystals floating in it will 
not affect worms. They are killed, however, when brought 
in contact with an oi]y solution ; and, besides, such solu- 
tion is not absorbed by the stomach. 

Consequently this drug should invariably be given in a 
fat or an oil, and preferably castor oil ; which must not, 
however, be in. too large quantity, because if the santonin 
is rushed, as it were, too quickly through the intestinal 
canal it does not have time to produce the desired effect. 

Wormseed oil, which, as stated, is the first vermifuge 
to be given young puppies, should also be mixed with cas- 
tor oil ; and those who desire to use it should slunv the 
following directions to their druggist : — 

Take of wormseed oil, sixteen drops ; oil of turpentine, 
two drops ; oil of anise, sixteen drops ; olive oil, three 
drachms ; castor oil, four and one-half drachms. 

Put into a two-ounce bottle, and direct to warm 
slightly, and shake well before using. Also label — Worm 
Medicine No. i. 

This medicine should be administered early in the morn- 
ing, on an empty stomach ; and it should be floated on a 
little milk — a quantity about equal to that of the medi- 
cine will be sufficient. 

Assuming that the puppy to be treated is of large or 
medium-sized variety and under six weeks of age, the ap- 



BLENHEtM SPANIELS. 




BOWSIE" AND BEACONSFIELD 



KING CHARLES SPANIELS. 





DUCHESS II. 



INTESTINAL PARASITES. 325 

propriate dose of No. i will be half a teaspoonful. This 
should be put into a dessert-spoon which contains the 
milk, and the whole poured down his throat. 

But if the puppy is between six and eight weeks of age 
he can be given one teaspoonful of this medicine in one 
dose ; while if he has passed the eighth week the treat- 
ment should be one dose of one teaspoonful of this medi- 
cine and another like dose in the course of an hour or an 
hour and a half. 

As some might assume that the oil of turpentine is 
introduced into this mixture and its associate No. 2 for its 
anthelmintic effect, the explanation is made here that it 
is used solely for the purpose of quickening the move- 
ments of the intestine and improving the condition of its 
lining membrane. 

This Worm Medicine No. i contains such a large propor- 
tion of castor oil in many instances the bowels of very 
young puppies taking it will move in the course of an hour ; 
if they do not, however, and the patients are under eight 
weeks of age and they are to have but one dose of this 
medicine as advised, then to the average puppy a teaspoon- 
ful of castor oil — in about a like quantity of milk — should 
be given at the expiration of an hour or an hour and a halt 
after giving the worm medicine. 

Where the patient has passed the eighth week and this 
medicine is to be repeated in the course of an hour or an 
hour and a half, the second dose is likely to move the 
bowels if the first fails to do so. If, however, they have 
not moved in the course of an hour after giving the last 
dose, then one or two teaspoonfuls of castor oil should be 
given. 

Worm Medicine No. i should be relied upon up to the 
eighth week, and in the event it is given and no worms 
are expelled, and yet symptoms of the pests persist, it 



326 KENNEL SECRETS. 

should be repeated in the course of a day or two, 
the doses being graduated as before. 

If after his eighth week a jnippy liad been given No. i 
and the desired effect had not been attained — that is, no 
worms had appeared in his discharges and symptoms of 
them still existed at the end of the second day after this 
treatment — then the druggist should be again sought and 
instructed to pre]~)are the following : — - 

Take of santonin, four grains; wormseed oil, twenty 
drops; oil of turpentine, three drops ; oil of anise, sixteen 
drops ; olive oil, two drachms ; castor oil, five and one-half 
drachms. 

l^ut into a two-ounce bottle, and direct to warm slightly, 
and shake well for a minute before using. Also label — 
Worm Medicine No. 2, 

This mixture should be given like the first, — before 
breakfast, — and unless worms have passed freely during 
the interval it should be followed in two hours by another 
dose containing the same quantity, the puppy meanwhile 
being denied food. 

And if the bowels do not move within four hours after 
\\i<t first dose, one or two teaspoonfuls of castor oil should 
be given. 

If under the use of Nos. I and 2 — with an interval of 
two days between each as advised — worms have not 
been expelled, the chances are that if the puppy is between 
eight and ten weeks of age he is not harboring any, and 
more than likely his symptoms supposed to indicate worms 
are due to some other cause, and ]3robably indigestion. 
Yet were his owner not satisfied he might try mixture 
No. 2 again in a day or two. 

These doses of mixtures Nos. i and 2 are appropriate 
for all puppies except small breeds and toys — see page 
333. For the former they should be reduced one-half; 



INTESTINAL PARASITES. 32/ 



while the latter should take no more tlian one-fourth of 
the quantities advised. And the doses properly adjusted 
they should be administered under the rules laid down — 
that is, they should be given on an empty stomach, not be 
repeated unless the patients are eight weeks of age, nor 
should No. 2 be used until after that age and No. i has 
been, tried and found wanting. 

Here intrudes another delusion, namely, that it is always 
necessary carefully to graduate doses of worm medicines 
to the size of the patients. While in some instances varia- 
tions can be made on this basis with perfect propriety, 
great ones and nicety of adjustment are not invariably 
required during puppyhood, for no very marked difference 
exists between the alimentary canal of a pup]3y of medium- 
sized variety and tliat of one of large breed. Certainly it is 
not very much larger in one case than in the other; and 
assuredly the difference in capacity counts but little. 
Moreover, worm medicines are intended for the tenants, 
not the hosts, consequently unless very powerful drugs are 
given — drugs that are largely absorbed and taken into 
circulation — until matured a setter may be given as much 
as a St. Ik-rnard of the same age. But the latter, matur- 
ing later, will bear increases after leaving the setter, and 
until he, in turn, has reached maturity. 

Excluding small dogs, for the reason that many of them 
are of notoriously delicate natures, the age and the condi- 
tion of strength are the considerations that should weigh 
most when estimating doses of worm medicine, or at least 
medicines of the nature of those herein recommended. 

Returning to Worm Medicine No. i, the reader is again 
reminded that it is never wise to give medicine of any 
kind to very young puppies unless they positively require 
it; also, that vermifuges should be withheld until after 
the eig-hth week unless there is evidence that worms are 



328 KENNEL SECRETS. 

present. But shoukl such evidence be offered, then the 
victims should be treated even if they are yet nurs- 
ing. 

To dose puppies that are only three or four weeks old is 
no simple matter, for they do not swallow what is o-iven 
them from a spoon nearly as easily as when drinking well 
and feeding themselves from a dish. However, if puppies 
are much troubled with worms at this early age there is 
but one thing to do, namely, drive out the tenants even 
though risks are incurred in doing so, for in many instances 
speedy death is inevitable unless it is done. And the signs 
which justify this treatment are vomiting of worms, con- 
vulsions, or diarrhoea with mucous discharges of reddish 
color, the same being attended by colic, which is indicated 
by moaning, or general prostration. 

These symptoms appearing in a puppy of large or me- 
dium-sized variety and between three and four weeks old, 
one-half a teaspoonful of No. i should be given ; and fol- 
lowed by three drops of laudanum in a teaspoonful of water, 
in all cases of convulsions or colic — but in none other. 

If, now, at the end of an hour worms have not begun to 
pass, another half teaspoonful of No. i should be adminis- 
tered; and this should be followed in an hour by a similar 
dose of laudanum if convulsions or pain persist. 

But if worms have been passed during the first hour it 
will not be advisable to repeat No. i. The laudanum, 
however, should be given in three-drop doses every two 
hours until the convulsions or pain have subsided. And 
this dose of laudanum is appropriate for all puppies ex- 
cepting small breeds and toys. 

This worm and opiate treatment is not likely to do 
harm if it fails to do good. And now comes the reason 
why preference is given to wormseed oil for use in earliest 
puppyhood. It is destructive to worms, less so, however. 



INTESTINAL PARASITES. 329 

than santonin, and at the same time it is non-irritating- and 
perfectly safe when given in the quantities herein advised. 
Beyond this, it really possesses tonic properties that are 
felt especially by the lining membrane of the intestine, 
which fact has been shown in many cases by improvement 
in the diarrhoea and other symptoms attributed to worms 
when those symptoms were due, not to worms, but to other 
causes, and very generally to indigestion. Finally, the 
writer doubts if it is poisc«ious even in very large doses, 
for he has many times given, without injury, four tea- 
spoonfuls of No. I, and repeated the doses in one hour, to 
pug puppies that were in their third week; while to the 
same puppies he gave one drachm doses of pure wormseed 
oil when they were in their seventh week, and the only 
marked effect produced was constipation. But these ex- 
periments were for the purpose of locating the safety 
lines, and of course no reader would be justified in re- 
peating them. Nor would it be necessary, for the small 
doses advised act quite as well on the worms. 

As already intimated, when severe symptoms of worms 
appear in a puppy about the third week the chances are 
many that death will result, and more than likely be due 
to perforation of the intestinal walls, failure of the vital 
powers induced by intestinal inflammation, obstruction of 
nutrition or diarrhoea; or it may be occasioned by pro- 
found impression of the worms upon the head centre of 
the nervous system, the same being exhibited by convul- 
sions. 

While both the worm medicines advised are practically 
harmless they sometimes cause symptoms with which the 
reader should be familiar, for otherwise he might be made 
uneasy by them. Slight frothing at the mouth, evidently 
a disposition to spit, and shaking the head for a few min- 
utes, are induced by the unpleasant taste of the drugs. 



330 KENNEL SECRETS. 

Nausea is another occasional symptom ; and it is well to 
add that it is generally excited in young puppies by all 
medicines that contain considerable quantities of castor 
oil ; and while puppies six weeks old or older often find 
relief from it in vomiting it rarely occurs at an earlier age. 
For a time the little patients are in some instances more 
or less sluggish or as many are wont to say, " dumpish ; " 
they are then disinclined to move about much or nurse, 
and generally soon fall asleep, to wake up in the course of 
an hour as brischt and active as ever. 







CHAPTER IX. 



POTENT WO RM-D p:.ST RO Y ERS. 



After puppies have passed the tenth week the mildest 
of the medicines advised, mixture No. i, can be laid aside 
— in a cool place if it is to be kept — and No. 2 used 
thereafter, in the same way as during the earlier age. 

For puppies of large and medium-sized varie' ' , the 
dose of No. 2 should be the same — one teaspoonful — up 
to the fourth month, when it can be increased one-half; 
that is, one teaspoonful and one-half can be given at one 
dose. From the fourth month this dose should be per- 
sisted in until the seventh month, when another increase 
of one-half a teaspoonful can be made. In other words, 
such puppies seven months old can take two teaspoonfuls 
of No. 2 at a single dose. 

At the tenth month another increase of (me-half a tea- 
spoonful will be allowable with No. 2; and this made, the 
dose will be two and one-half teaspoonfuls. 

Three months later, or at the thirteenth month, still an- 
other increase of one-half a teaspoonful can be made, and 
this will bring the dose up to three teaspoonfuls, which 
will be large enough for all mature dogs excepting the 

331 



332 KENNEL SECRETS. 

largest breeds, for which there should be one more such 
increase after the eighteenth month. 

For puppies of small but not toy breeds the increase in 
dose of No. 2 should be one-half the original dose, — which 
was recommended to be one-half a teaspoonful, — and this 
increase can be made every three months. That is, at the 
fourth month their dose would be three-fourths of a tea- 
spoonful ; at the seventh one teaspoonful ; at the tenth 
one and one-fourth teaspoonfuls ; and after the thirteenth 
one and one-half teaspoonfuls. 

For toy puppies, as Yorkshires, the same methods 
should be employed in graduating the doses of No. 2. 
Starting with one-fourth of a teaspoonful as the original 
dose, this should be increased one-half every three 
months, or by about seven drops each time, estimating 
a teaspoon to hold between fifty and sixty, drops of the 
mixture. 

Let the reader bear in mind that in every instance 
where ■ No. 2 is used, whether with large, small or toy 
varieties, and notwithstanding the increase in the dose, 
every time it is given it can be repeated in two hours if 
the first dose has not had a very decided effect, worms 
having been passed during the interval. 

Mixture No. 2 very generally proves all-sufhcient during 
the first six months, and not infrequently it can be wholly 
relied upon not only until maturity is reached, but for a 
long time afterward ; and such being the case it should be 
persisted in. But in some instances along about the fourth 
or fifth month puppies become infested with worms which 
yield less readily to santonin than to some other vermi- 
fuge. And when such cases are encountered and No. 2 
fails to expel the intruders powdered areca nut should be 
tried. 

Areca nut is a product of an East India tree belonging 



MISS H. M. MACKENZIE'S ITALIAN GREYHOUNDS. 






BLACK-AND-TAN TERRIERS. 





OH. H. T. FOOTE'S BROOMFIELD SULTAN." MR. A. W. SMITH'S BUFFALO LASS. 



POTENT WORM-DESTROYERS. 333 

to the family of palms, and its active constituent is areco- 
line, a colorless oily fluid. Arccoline hydrobroinate, a salt 
of this alkaloid, xQ.^&vi\h\&^ pelletierine, an alkaloid obtained 
from the root-bark of the pomegranate, and is a local irri- 
tant when applied to mucous membranes. In medium 
doses it produces vomiting and diarrhoea, while small doses 
slow the movements of the heart, render respiration diffi- 
cult and have a paralyzing action on the brain. 

Some who have discussed areca nut in public print have 
denounced it as unsafe and poisonous, while' others have 
claimed it to be perfectly safe and incapable of doing any 
harm whatsoever. Both sides are at fault on this ques- 
tion. For puppies four or five months of age and up- 
wards, and matured dogs, areca nut is one of the safest of 
vermifuges, but puppies much under this age do not always 
bear it well. In fact the writer in his experiments with it 
has killed puppies six and seven weeks old by only mod- 
erate doses. And in these fatal cases evidently the drug 
produced a profound impression on the heart, which caused 
its failure. 

. More than likely areca nut has often been given to quite 
young puppies without harmful results ; still the danger 
line can scarcely have been left before the fourth month, 
and until then if it is used it should be in very small doses. 
But once this doubtful period has passed there will be no 
necessity for nice adjustment of doses, and excepting 
where the puppies to be treated are small breeds and 
toys, the health, strength and age are considerations of 
first importance in estimating them. 

A distinction has been made between small breeds and 
toys, but this is vague, and before going further the lines 
must be drawn as closely as possible ; but instead of giv- 
ing a list of the varieties included in these classes it will 
be as well, besides favor convenience, to fix them by weight 



334 KENNEL SECRETS. 

and include in the small breed class, dogs, of both sexes, 
that when full-grown weigh over ten pounds but not much 
over twenty pounds ; and put all others weighing less than 
ten pounds when matured in the toy class. Of course 
this classification is far from exact, but still it will 
answer every purpose, moreover obviate the danger of 
error. 

Powdered areca nut can safely be given in even teaspoon- 
ful doses to all varieties of puppies, from the largest down 
to sinall breeds, that have recently passed the fourth month, 
provided always the patients are fairly healthy and strong. 

For puppies of small breeds of about this age the dose 
should be one-half a teaspoonful. 

For toy puppies of like age the dose should not be 
over one-fourth of a teaspoonful. 

Strangely, perhaps, in dealing with medicines it is the 
trifles over which people are most likely to stumble ; and 
it being assumed that some may not know how to measure 
an eve7i teaspoonful of powder the following advice is 
given : Take up a heaping teaspoonful, and with a small 
card or knife blade, or anything else that has a straight 
edge, sweep off all the powder above the edges of the 
spoon. This done, if the spoon holds powdered areca nut, 
the quantity left in it will weigh about sixteen grains, pro- 
vided the spoon is of the old-fashioned sort, which is a 
little smaller than the make of to-day. 

At about the eighth month the dose for the toys can 
be increased to about one-half a teaspoonful ; and that 
will be quite enough for them thereafter, even when 
matured. 

As for the small breeds, they will bear an increase of 
about one-fourth every third month after the fourth ; that 
is, starting at the fourth month with one-half a teaspoon- 
ful, about the seventh month the appropriate dose will be 






MRS. M. A. FOSTER, 
BRADFORD, ENG. 



POTENT WORM-DESTROYERS. 335 

three-fourths of a teaspoonful ; the tenth month an even 
teaspoonful ; while once fully matured they can safely be 
given nearly one and one-half teaspoonfuls. 

For all puppies of varieties of medium size, as collies, 
the dose of areca nut should be increased by one-half a 
teaspoonful every second month until the sixteenth month 
is passed ; that is, commencing with one teaspoonful 
after the fourth month, after the sixth it should be 
one and one-half ; the eighth, two ; the tenth, two and 
one-half ; the twelfth, three ; the fourteenth, three and 
one-half ; the sixteenth, four ; and this should be the 
dose thereafter. 

The reader is reminded that the basis of these estimates 
is an even teaspoonful. 

In adjusting the doses of areca nut for the largest breeds, 
precisely this same method of increase should be employed ; 
that is, commencing with one teaspoonful after the fourth 
month if this dose is increased by one-half a teaspoonful 
every second month, in the sixteenth it will be the same 
as for medium-size breeds. But the increase should be 
persisted in, and in the same ratio, until after maturity, 
which is about the twenty-fourth month. In other words, 
the dose after the eighteenth month will be four and 
one-half teaspoonfuls ; the twentieth, five ; the twenty- 
second, five and one-half ; and the twenty-fourth, six. 

Doses estimated on these lines are only of moderate 
size, yet, as a rule, they are quite as effectual as much 
larger doses. And it is always better in cases of worms 
to resort to fairly small doses and repeat than give a 
single very large one. 

When giving powdered areca nut to quite young pup- 
pies the best vehicle is milk ; but the quantity should not 
be over a tablespoonful, for force must be used in adminis- 
tration. 



336 KENNEL SECRETS. 

The usual form in which it is given to puppies that have 
passed the sixth month and to mature dogs is that of a 
bolus, which can be made as follows : Place the required 
quantity of powder in the centre of a plate ; drop on it 
two or three drops of molasses, and with the tip of a table- 
knife incorporate the whole, meanwhile adding more 
molasses as required. After all the grains of the powder 
adhere, take up the mass on the end of the knife and dip 
it into dry wheat flour. Now remove it with the fingers 
and roll it into a ball ; while doing so it will be neces- 
sary to sprinkle more flour over it, othe"wise it will stick 
to the fingers. 

In administering this it is necessary to force open the 
patient's mouth, lift his nose in the air, drop in the bolus 
and with the forefinger push it back as far as possible, 
then quickly bring the jaws together and hold them tightly 
until it is swallowed. 

But when the subjects will gulp small pieces of meat 
the most convenient way of giving areca nut is in a very 
thin slice of beef, folded or rolled so that the powder is 
concealed. And this should be tossed to the patient, so 
that he will catch and bolt it, after he has been teased 
with a few bits of meat. 

Where the required quantity of areca nut is consider- 
able, manifestly it would be advisable to give it in divided 
doses ; that is, use several small slices of beef rather than 
a single large one. 

Its active constituent being a volatile oil, areca nut 
speedily loses its value as a vermifuge after it has been 
reduced to a powder and exposed to the air, consequently 
the nuts should be invariably purchased and powdered 
as required. This powdering can be done at home by 
means of a nutmeg grater. And the lightest-colored nuts 
should be chosen, for they are of more recent growth 



POrENT WORM-DESTROYERS. 337 

than the dark-colored, therefore richer in the essential 
properties. 

Along about the eighth month — but it maybe much 
earlier or much later — puppies are likely to become in- 
fested with tapeworms, and although areca nut will often- 
times expel these troublesome tenants there are other 
agents that are more destructive to them, and with one of 
these the reader should be fortified. 

Of the anthelmintics peculiarly adapted to this species 
of worm, male fern is one of the most active ; and the 
form and combination should be as follows : — 

Oil of male fern, one-half an ounce ; olive oil, one and 
one-half ounces. 

For puppies between six and eight months old, except- 
ing, again, the small breeds and toys, the dose of this mix- 
ture is one teaspoonful. 

For the small bi^ceds an appropriate dose is one-half a 
teaspoonful ; while one-fourth of a teaspoonful is right for 
the toys. 

This mixture, like all others containing disagreeable oils, 
should be floated on a little milk, as previously advised 
with worm medicines Nos. i and 2. 

For all varieties of medium or large size the doses of 
the male fern mixture should be increased by one-half 
when the second year has been entered ; while with the 
largest breeds another and similar increase should be made 
at the beginning of the third year — or in other words they 
should then be taking two teaspoonfuls of the mixture. 

In every case when male fern fails to have the desired 
effect, it should be administered again after an interval of 
a week. 

Obviously in all cases where worm medicines, of what- 
ever kind, are given, for the best results the intestines 
should be comparatively empty that the drugs may be 



338 KENNEL SECRETS. 

brought in more thorough contact with the worms ; conse- 
quently fasting for as long a time as wise and safe should 
be the rule. But in cases where the puppies are still 
nursing, a fast of two or three hours will be quite sufficient ; 
and if such little ones are in imminent danger there need 
be no delay. 

For puppies under five months of age oftentimes a fast 
of a night will be long enough; and a light supper of milk 
having been given, the worm treatment can be adminis- 
tered before breakfast. But where a tapeworm is the 
lodger to be expelled, about a week of preparatory treat- 
ment is advisable. And the importance of this appears 
in the following: While evacuations of many of the seg- 
ments of the worm are easily brought about, but little has 
been really accomplished until the head is expelled, for 
reproduction is steady and rapid as long as that remains. 
This portion is very obstinate indeed in its adherence to 
the lining of the intestine, and being minute in size it is 
easily shielded from the action of the worm medicine by 
the tenacious mucus, which is always secreted in excess 
when a tapeworm is present. 

It is essentia], therefore, to diminish this secretion be- 
fore commencing the actual treatment, and much can be 
done in this direction by dietetic means alone. To the de- 
sired end for about one week the diet should be restricted 
to raw beef, and milk or broths thickened with a few well- 
toasted bread crusts. And these foods should be limited 
in quantity. In other words the diet should be of the 
"starvation sort," provided, of course, it can be safely in- 
stituted, the subject being fairly strong and hardy. 

Under this restriction in diet the mucous secretion will 
have, greatly lessened, and perhaps sufficiently, but still 
those who can spare the time required will do well to ad- 
minister durins: the dietina: the following: mixture : Chlo- 




lady giffard's maltese terrier, mrs. m. a. fostfr's yorkshire terrier, 

Hugh." "ted." 




Mr. F. p. Comstock's Japanese Spaniel, Nank-i-Poo. 





Mrs. E. J. Thomas' Pomeranian, 
Black Boy.' ' 



Miss Hamilton's Pomeranian, 
Rob of Rozelle." ' 



POTENT IVORM-D EiiTRO VERS . 339 

ride of ammonium, two drachms; fluid extract of senna, 
six drachms; water sufficient to make three ounces. Dose, 
one teaspoonful twice daily, in a little water, between the 
feedings. 

This dose is appropriate for all breeds excepting the 
small and toy. For the former the dose should be one-half 
a teaspoonful, and for the latter one-fourth of a tea- 
spoonful. 

The week of preparation having ended, the night before 
the male fern is to be administered, and four or five hours 
after the patient has had a light supper, a goodly dose of 
castor oil should be given. Then, the bowels. having been 
thoroughly evacuated and the tapeworm uncovered, as it 
were, the destroyer can work to advantage. 

As the wormseed oil and santonin mixtures — Nos. r 
and 2 — contain a large proportion of castor oil, a cathartic 
will not always be required after them. That point, how- 
ever, has already been covered in their discussion. But 
the other vermifuges, areca nut and male fern, should in- 
variably be followed in an hour and a half, or two hours, by 
a cathartic; and here again the preference should be given 
to castor oil, and the dose of the same graduated according 
to the age as follows : — 

For all puppies six months of age, excepting small breeds 
and toys, it should be one tablespoonful. For the small 
breeds it should be one-half a tablespoonful ; and for toys, 
one teaspoonful. 

After this age and up to the twelfth month the doses 
for all varieties can be gradually increased until they are 
nearly or quite doubled ; and rarely will further increase 
be necessary for the toys, small and medium-sized breeds, 
but for the largest dogs three tablespoonfuls of the oil is 
generally required for very decided effect. 

Attention is again called to the fact that puppies in- 



340 KENNEL SECRETS. 

fested with worms suffer from considerable inflammation 
of the intestines; and while this very generally subsides 
rapidly after the noxious tenants have been driven out, it 
sometimes persists and keeps the patient ailing for a week 
or more if it does not eventually kill. Therefore, every- 
thing possible should be done to favor restoration of the 
affected parts. And the essential treatment is, to exclude 
all farinaceous substances from the dietary save toasted 
bread, and allow but little of that even, and rely chiefly on 
milk, eggs and scraped beef. If the mucous discharges 
have been large it will be well, also, while restricting the 
diet, to give an alkali to discourage further excessive se- 
cretion of mucus, and this requirement is best met by the 
bicarbonate of soda, "a pinch" of which should be put 
into the milk three times daily. 

Before summarizing and leaving this subject there are a 
few crumbs to be swept up. 

Dogs are threatened by many different kinds of worms, 
and while some of the pests are destroyed by a certain 
vermifuge, others are not affected by it or by any other 
agent excepting their own peculiar antidote, as it were. 
Moreover, far oftener than otherwise it will be impossible 
for the owner to determine excepting by treatment the 
kind of worm his dog is harboring. Now, wormseed oil, 
santonin, areca nut and male fern constitute an admirable 
battery, and when one member of it is resisted some 
of the others are pretty sure to prove all-powerful ; but 
acting singly, while sweeping out their own enemies, 
they must in many instances leave others behind, hence 
it will often be necessary to unload them all upon the in- 
truders. 

Such occasions as this, however, seldom present them- 
selves in the first year of life, and as a rule one member of the 
battery does the work for all. But after the sixth month, 



POTEA'T WORM-DESTROYERS. 34 1 

should a case be encountered in which the symptoms of 
worms persist after one of tke vermifuges recommended 
has been given, then it will be advisable to administer the 
others, allowing always an interval of a week between 
each. As, for instance, give mixture No. 2 the first week, 
areca nut the second, and male fern the third. And this 
course pursued, the work of ejectment ought to be com- 
plete, each agent finding its own special victims. 

But puppies having passed the first year and acquired a 
resistance to the unpleasant effects of such drugs, were 
it necessary the entire batter}^ could be turned loose at 
one and the same time — that is, if in any instance the 
symptoms of worms did not disappear after each one of 
the vermifuges advised had been used in turn they might 
all be given together, in a single dose. 

Nor is it likely that this single dose would do any harm 
were it made up of full doses of all the ingredients, but no 
risks should be taken with a good dog, therefore it would 
be advisable in every instance to give in the combined 
dose only two-thirds of a dose of each. In other words, it 
would be necessary to consider the age of the dog to be 
treated and estimate according to the rules already laid 
down the quantities of areca nut, male fern and mixture 
No. 2 suitable for him, and then take of each only two- 
thirds. 

To preclude all possibility of error the writer will go 
further and assume that the reader has a collie about four- 
teen months old which presents symptoms of worms that 
have resisted all the mixtures advised, the same having 
been given singly, and he now desires to trv' them to- 
gether. Turning back to the different preparations it is 
found that for dogs of this age the following doses were 
recommended : — 

Of No. 2, two doses of three teaspoonfuls each, or six 



342 KENNEL SECRETS. 

teaspoonfuls in all ; of areca nut, three and one-half tea- 
spoonfuls ; and of the oil of male fern mixture, one and 
one-half teaspoonfuls. 

Therefore he will take of each two-thirds of these doses, 
or of No. 2, four teaspoonfuls, areca nut a trifle over two 
and one-half teaspoonfuls, and the oil of male fern mixture 
one teaspoonful. 

Now, these proportions of No. 2, areca nut and male 
fern should be put into a bottle, together with about two 
tablespoonfuls of warm milk, and administered as soon as 
they are as well mixed as possible by vigorous shaking. 
And this dose should be followed in the course of an hour 
or an hour and a half by not less than two tablespoonfuls 
of castor oil. 

This, which can properly be called a " shot-gun mix- 
ture," for it must scatter and hit the mark somewhere, 
should never be given excepting to dogs, of either sex, 
that are very vigorous and healthy ; and to such it is never 
at all likely to do any harm when prepared on the lines 
laid down. 

As for adjusting the doses for thit small breeds and toys, 
that should be done in precisely the same way for each 
class. 

In works treating of worms and anthelmintics it is 
generally recommended that santonin be given two or 
three times daily for several days and finally followed by 
a cathartic. The writer believes that this method of 
administration is open to objection, especially with 
very young puppies, since it must increase the liability of 
poisoning by the drug ; hence he has combined it with 
wormseed oil ; and two doses of this mixture he has found 
to be more efficacious than several doses of santonin alone 
given over several days-. However, should the reader 
desire to give mixture No. 2 to the same puppy several 



POTENT WORM-DESTROYERS. 343 

times within a week, he can do so safely if he allows 
between each treatment an interval of a day. 
• The influence of diet upon worms has been considered 
with the subject of " Feeding," and it is merely necessary 
here to emphasize the fact that worms are greatly favored 
when the stomach and bowels are kept loaded with indi- 
gestible or half-digested food, under which conditions the 
parasites grow and increase in number far more rapidly 
than under a happier one. Liquid foods are also, as a 
rule, friendly to the pests, whereas solids tend to dislodge 
and sweep them from the body. 

As to the prevention of worms, beyond the measures 
already defined there are none of any special value. Sour 
milk, very likely, has some action on the egg-shells of 
worms, and it may be able to penetrate them and destroy 
their contents ; or it may, possibly, soften these shells so 
that the gastric juice can reach the young worms, which 
it is thought invariably to kill. But, as far as puppies are 
concerned, worms are almost always intrenched before 
this food can properly be given them. 

The writer once thought powdered charcoal had some 
preventive as well as destructive action, but long expe- 
rience and close observation have since taught him that he 
greatly over-estimated its effects in this direction, and that 
if it has any such action it is but slight, and an appreciable 
effect can only be obtained from very large doses ; to give 
which to puppies is impossible except by fprce, for small 
quantities, even, mixed with their food often cause them 
to refuse it. Consequently he now discourages the use 
of this agent as practically inert. 

Summarizing briefly, cleanliness is the most potent pre- 
ventive of worms. In the absence of threatening signs 
worm medicines should be withheld until after the eighth 
week ; but in the event any such signs appear, dosing 



344 KENNEL SECRETS. 

should be promptly resorted to. Mixture No. i should be 
relied upon until the eighth week ; then if it fails, No. 2 
should be tried, and depended upon afterward as long as 
it proves efficacious — even up to and during maturity. 
When No. 2 is found wanting areca nut should be used ; 
and that failing in turn, the male-fern mixture can be 
called into service. 

A combination of these vermifuges should be made only 
when singly they are incapable of doing the work ; and 
after the twelfth month, previous to which one after 
another may be given if necessary, but always with inter- 
vals of several days between each. 

Finally, infection is always in lurk in kennels, conse- 
quently it is advisable under such conditions to give pup- 
pies that have passed the tenth week a dose of vermifuge 
occasionally, until after the eighth month. 



INDEX. 



After-birth, 249. 

Appetite, loss of, 77, 180, 185. 

Apple-butter, 274. 

Areca nut, 332. 

Arsenic, 152. 

Barley, 46. 

Barrenness from obesity, 227. 

Bedding, 89. 

" during whelping, 240. 
Beet-root, 37. 
Benzine, 127, 13S. 
Blanketing, 168. 
Bone-meal, 237. 
Bones, danger in, 30. 

" for puppies, 60. 

" value of, 30. 
Bread, Boston brown, 41. 

" Graham, 41. 

" trimmings, 40, 42. 

" white, 39. 
Breasts, malformations of, 273. 

" treatment when caked, 265. 

" treatment when sore, 274. 
Breeding, 197. 

" in-and-in, 204. 

Broth for bitches in pup, 235. 

" important elements in, 11. 
Brushes for grooming, 117. 
Buttermilk, 31, 162. 

Cabbages, 37, 62. 

Carbolic acid and balsam, 183. 

" " the crude, 134. 

Carbolic soaps, 137. 
Carrot, 37. 
Castor-oil, 339. 
Chaining, 97. 
Cod-liver oil, 60, 165, 168. 
Colic, treatment of, 289. 
Combs, dangers in, irS, 169. 
Condition when right, 79. 
Conditioning for shows, 147. 

" the coat, 166. 

Constipation before whelping, 241. 

'' vegetables in, 37. 

Cooking, effects of, on meat, 22. 
Corn cakes, 44. 
Corn meal, cooking of, 44. 

" " effects of, on toys, 43, 71 



Corn meal, food value of, 42. 

" " proper way to use, 43. 
Cracklings, 25. 
Crates, 177. 
Crown soap, 173. 

Dandelion, 37. 

Deformities obviated by feeding, 57. 

■' in puppies, 293. 

Dew claws, 302. 
Diarrhoea, 164. 

" food remedy for, 62. 

■' from worms, 317. 

Dietary for bitches in pup, 238. 
" for puppies, 49. 
" general, 65. 
Diet, far-reaching effects of, 16. 
" first after weaning, 52. 
" force of habit on, 4. 
" for whelping mothers, 253. 
" general remarks on, 5. 
" influence of exercise on, 7, 11. 
" the natural, 3. 
" variability of effects of, 13. 
Diet table for conditioning, 156. 
" " for mature dogs, 71. 
" " for puppies, 58. 
" ■' for toys, 68, 159. 
Digestion, peculiarities of, 10. 
Disinfectants, 193. 
Distemper, 182. 

" dangers of, at shows, 145. 

Docking, 301. 
Dog biscuits, 47. 
Dog power, 149. 
Dog shows, 143. 
Drinking water, 109. . 
Drugging, dangers in, 152. 

" v/ith cathartics, 241. 

Earliest puppyhood, 281. 
Eczema, remedy for, 183. 
Eggs, 31. 

Egg shampoo, 172. 
Exercise, 93. 

" amount of, required, 104. 

" effects of excess of, 106. 

" consequences of denial of, 95. 

" during gestation, 229. 

" for stud dogs, 107. 



345 



346 



INDEX. 



Exercise, preparatory, for shows, 148. 

" under confinement, 103, 149. 

" while at shows, 1S7. 
Exercising machine, 140. 
Exhibiting, 143. 

Feeding bitches in pup, 235. 
" in hot weather, 78. 
" mature dogs, 72. 
'• on the cars, 178. 
'■ puppies, 49. 
" when out of condition, 155. 
" while at shows, 185. 
Fecundation, artificial, 210. 
Fever after whelping, 25S. 
Fish, 313. 
Fleas, 129. 

" destroyers of, 132. 
" in the puppy quarters, 287. 
" measures ot prevention of, 131. 
Flies, 137- 
Flour gruel, 62. 

Food, influence of, on hair, 159. 
Foods, farinaceous, 39. 
" garden produce, 36. 
" required proportion of animal, t i. 
" starchy, 35, . 

■' that must be cooked, 25. 
'■ vegetable, 35. 
'■ " effects of excess, 20 

Foster-niotliers, 266. 
Fumigation b\ sulphur, 00. 

Greens, ^7. 
Grooming, 1 16. 

" brushes required in, 117. 

'■ for shows, 166. 

" the hand riibbing, 169. 

Hair, dressing, 12^. 

" growers, 159. 

" liygiene of the, 166. 

" loss of, 1 24. 

" restorers, 126. 

" when out of condition, 168. 
Handlers at shows, 179. 
Hand rubbing, 169. 
Heat, depressing effects of, -jZ. 

" required for pupjjies, 261, 282. 
Horse-flesh, 30. 
Hybridizing, 209. 
House-breaking, 305. 

Indian corn, 42. 
Insect powder, 133. 
Insects, 129. 
Iron, 153. 

Kennelling, 81. 

Kennels, tiest situation for, 84. 
" deodorizer for, 92. 



Kennels for summer quarters, 82. 

" how to build, 85. 

" hygiene in the, 89. 

" removal of vermin from, 90. 

'' requisites in, 88. 

'■ small out-of-door, S3. 

" water for, 1 11. 

'• without floors, 86. 
Kerosene oil for vermin, 138. 

Labor, 249. 

Laudanum, 289. 

Lice, 137. 

Lights, 26. . 

Like produce like, 197. 

Lime, precipitated phosphate of, 59, 237. 

Liver, dangers in, 26, 28. 

Male fern, 337. 

Mange, dangers of, in shows, 146. 

Mating, 197. 

" against every season, 225. 
'■ against too early, 215. 
Maturity, variable periods of, 218. 
Meat, convenient method of cooking, 74. 

" effects of, on toys, 9, 68, 162. 

" effects of, on disposition, 28. 

" essential proportions of, 11. 

" for bitches in pup, 235. 

•' from the table, 23. 

" habit of burying, 27. 

'■ loss of, by cooking, 23. 

" modifications in requirements of, 7. 

'■ penalties of excess of, 20. 

'• poisonous when tainted, 28 

" preparations of, 22. 

'• proportions generally required, 11. 

'• raw, during gestation, 23. 

" raw, erroneous notions about, 27. 

'■ raw, precautions in use of, 26, 29. 

" raw, parasites in, 24. 

'• reputed effect on nose, 27. 

" right proportions for puppies, 20. 
Milk at birth, 252. 

'■ condensed, 270. 

" delayed secretion of, 262. 

'' drying up of the, 275. 

" during pregnancy, 234. 

" effects of excess of, 256. 

" excessive acidity of the, 278. 

" fever, 264. 

" for puppies, 61, 63. 

" for toys, 67. 

" influences which deteriorate it, 289. 

" poisoning by the mother's, 275. 

" poisons generated in, 293. 

" skimmed, 31. 

•' sour, 31. 

•• value of', as a food, 30. 
Mother, treatment of the, 243. 
Mutton, 163. 



INDEX. 



347 



Nettles, 37. 

Nursing, impediments to, 273. 

Oatmeal, food value of, 44. 
Obesity, cause of, 20. 

" in brood bitches, 227. 
CEstruation, 214. 
Onions, 38. 
Osteomalacia, 236. 
Over-eating, results of, 21. 
Over-feeding, dangers in, 79. 
Over-weighty, to reduce the, 159, 162. 

Parasites in animal foods, 24. 
Parsnips, '57. 
Pedigree, value of, 209. 
Permanganate of potassium, 92. 
Poison for destroying puppies, 297. 
" generated in foods. 78. 
" in drinkmg water, no. 
Pork, digestibility of, 25. 
Potatoes, 36. 

Precipitated phosphate of lime, 59, 237. 
Pregnancy, signs of, 231. 
Preparatory work, 143. 
Puppies, artificial feeding of, 262, 269. 

at birth. 24c). 

bones for. 60. 

care of new-born, 260. 

cod-liver oil for, 60. ■ 

crushed by the mother,245, ^S'- 

dangers in over-feeding, 55, 70. 

dangers in shows, 145. 

deformities in, 295. 

diet table for, 58. 

effects of restraint on, 98. 

feeding of, 49. 

general rules for feeding, 70. 

heat required by, 261. 

importance of exercise in. 57. 

infection of, by worms, 315. 

infested by lice, 13S. 

mortality of, 189. 

number of meals for, 53, 58. 

precautions in feeding, 53. 

preparation of vegetables for, 62. 

prevention of deformities, 59, 70. 

quantity of food required by, 69. 

sleeping-boxes for, 286. ■ 

time for weaning, 50. 

to keep down in weight, 66. 

treatment ot, when suffocated, 

273- . 

variety in diet essential for, 63. 

vermin on, 287. 

water for, 1 [4. 

when starving, 263. 

yards for. 99. 
Puppy-eating habit 253. 
Puppy quarters, hygiene of the, 285, 290. 



Quassia, 136. 
Quinine. 153. 

Rice, food value of, 45. 

" for toys, 159. 
Rickets, one cause of, 236. 
■' prevention of, 59. 
Ring, hints while in the, 188. 
Rutting, signs of, 219. 
I^ye, 46. 

Sales, rules governing, 296. 

Santonin, 323. 

Season, 214. 

Service, 222. 

Shaping, 215. 

Show managements, hints for, 191. 

Shows, journeying to, 177. 

" prevention of infection at, 186. 
Sire, influence of previous, 206. 

" selection of, 197. 
Skimmed milk, J62. 
Skin, importance of cleanliness, 116. 

" when out of condition, 168. 
Sleeping-benches, 87. 
Sleeping-boxes, 88. 
Soap, carbolic acid, 137. 

" formula for the best, 173. 
.'-ioaps of ordinary quality, 120. 
.Soups, digestibility of. 22. 
Spinach. 37. , 
Spoon-feeding, 32, 157, 
Starchy foods, 39. 

" . " digestibility of, 46. 

" " in puppyhood, 47. 

'• " in obesity, 228. 

Stud dogs, exercise for, 107. 
Sulphur fumigation, 90. 

Table scraps, 23, 71. 
Tapeworm destroyer, 337. 
Tea sops, 163. 
Teething, 301. 
Toys, corn meal on, 43. 

" diet for, 65, 68. 

" effects of meat on, 9. 

" the feeding of, 159. 

" washing of, 172, 175. 
Training, 304. 
Tripe for toys, 68. 
Troublesome insects, 129. 
Turnip, 37. 
Turpentine, 320. 
Tyrotoxicon, 293. 

Umbilical cord, 249. 

Vegetables, corrective properties of, y]. 
" penalties for excess of, 20. 

Ventilation, importance of, 290. 



348 



INDEX. 



Vermifuges, 319, 331. 

Vermin, removal from kennels, 90. 

Watchers, how to train, 312. 
Washing, 116. 

" after treatment, 122. 

" general rules for, 119. 

" methods of, 121. 

" toys, 172. 

" with raw eggs, 120. 
Weaning first food after, 52. 

" right method of, 51. 

" time for, 52. 
Weeding litters, 271. 
Wheat, 39. 
Whelping, after treatment, 252. 

" before, 229. 

" mania during, 247. 



Whelping, platform for, 240. 

right quarters for, 239, 245. 
Whelping-room, temperature of the, 249. 
Whelping, signs of, 243. 
Whip, the use of the, 311. 
Wood-ticks, 138. 
Worm destroyers, 319, 331. 
Worm-seed oil, 320. 
Worms, 314. 

" favored by foods, 61. 

" foods usually con taming, 25. 

" prevention before whelping, 239. 

Yards, cleanliness imperative m, 103. 

" for mature dogs, 100. 

" for puppies, 99. 
Yorkshires, how to wash, 175. 



5PRATT'S PATENT 

DOG CAKES 



Meat 

" Fibrine " 

Vegetable 



(With Beetroot). 



We caution all owners of Dogs to see that they get our Biscuits, 

and that 

EVERY CAKE IS STAMPED WITH THE WORDS 

"SPRATT'S PATENT" AND A "X." 

Or they may be stived witli ;i spurious and dangei-ous iinitalion. 



PATENT 

COD LIVER OIL DOG CAKES. 

TT IS needless to sav that of all f'attv matters Cod Liver Oil is THE ONE that admits 
•■■ of MOST REy\.D\" and ABUNDANT ARSOHPTION by the ANIMAL I!ODY. 
It supplies the heat necessary, and raises the nutrient value of the Biscuits far beyond the 
actual percentasre of oil added, as it allows of the conversion into animal substance of a 
greater proportion of the Nitrogen contained in the Biscuits. 

Cod Liver Oil is also of especial value in the treatment and prevention of Rickets in 
Puppies, and in assisting recovery after severe illness, such as Distemper, etc. 

PUPPY BISCUIT, 

to assist in teething, and 

PET DOG BISCUITS 

speci;dly for Ladies' pet dogs. 

PEPSINATED PUPPY MEAL • 

contains the requisite proportion of pepsin to render it a self-digesting food. 

DOG SOAP. 

TS entirely free from Poison, and most effecti-^e in the destruction of Lice, Fleas, 
■'• and Ticks, and bv keeping the skin free from scurf, obviates mange and other skin 
diseases. The only Soap that should ever be used in preparing dogs for exhibition, as 
it leaves the coat smooth and glossy. Price, 35 cents per tablet. 

This Soap is strongly recommended for genera! Toilet and Nursery use. It entirely 
prevents chapped hands and clears away scurf and dandruff. 

Send for Price List and gratis Pamphlet on Canine Diseases to 

Spratt's Patent (America), Limited, 

239-245 E. 56th St., N.Y. 



NEWCASTLE KENNELS. 



-i-^.o eA§^«' 1 



CLUMBER 

SPANIELS, 

WHITE AND LEMON. 



i 



WIRE=HAIRED 
SCOTCH TERRIERS, 

BLACK. 
BRINDLED OR SANDY. 



NONE BUT SELECTED STOCK SAVED OR SOLD. 



SI 

Champion Ne'wcastle, 5897 (Ben and Joan). 

Friar Boss, 22532 (Muff, 20583, and Boss III., 15748). 

Rover (Pedro and Romp II.). 

Pedro (Jockey and Rornp). 

Albert (Newcastle and Romp II.). 

Tyne, 5902 (Ben and Joan). 

Romp II. (Johnny and Bess). 

Jess (Jack and Jill). 

Bess (Friar Nabob, 24730, and Alveley Lulu, 20573). 

Alice (Newcastle and Romp II.). 

Meta (Shell and Lucy II.). 

Nancy (Meta and Rover). 

Hepsey (Meta and Rover). 

WIRE-HAIRED SCOTCH TERRIERS. 

Scotty (Glen Leo and G,ypsey Moore). 

Loch Ryan Kate, 27904(Dumbarton, 22446, and Fairiie Glen). 

Tibbie (Glen Leo and Gypsey Moore). 

Address, JAMES L LITTLE, 

Goddard Avenue, Brookline, Massachusetts. 




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AND 

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FANCIERS' PUBLISHING CO., Box qi6, PHILA. ^ 





"BEVERWYCK KENNELS" 



Albany, N.Y, 




Breedeks of Thoroughbred Fox Terriers. 

AT STUD. —The English and American Champion Bull Terrier 

'' CHAMPION STREATHAM MONARCH," 



K.C.S.B. 29816. 



A.K.C.S.B. 22086. 



The BEST BULL TERRIER in the world. Winner of 48 first 
and special prizes in England, and 19 in this country. Never 
beaten since a puppy. Whelped July, '89 ; "weight 50 pounds. 
A No. 1 puppies for sale. JOHN MOORHEAD, Jr., 

PITTSBURGH, PA. 

BULL TERRIERS. || BULL DOGS. 

Mr. frank F. dole is, without question, easily first in 

BREEDING . . 

HIGH CLASS 

. . . BULL TERRIERS- 



IMPORTING 



EXHIBITING 



SELLING 



At Stud, " GULiT.Y THE GKEAT." Sire of more prize winners than any dog 
living. If you want a dog (anv breed) write me. 

FRANK F. DOLE, New Haven, Conn. 



IRISH SETTERS. 



PUPPIES FOR SALE 

OUT OF PRIZE-WINNING BITCHES, 
BY OUR CELEBRATED 

Champion Kildare, 

Champion Dick Swiveller, 
Champion Dul<e Elcho, 
Challenge Seminole and 

Challenge Kildare Glenmore. 

All of the above noted dogs at stud. Fee of each, $25. 
We won first prize for the best Kennel of Irish Setters at 



ROCKFORD. 
MEW YORK, 
GRAND RAPIDS, 
NASHVILLE, 



FREEPORT, 

LEWISTON, 
BROOKLYN, 
PITTSBURGH, 

WASHINGTON. 



CHICAGO, 
OTTAWA, 
PHILADELPHIA, 
BOSTON, and 



Send* for free Catalogue containing photographs and 
price-list. Address 



Oak Grove Kennels, Moodus,Conn. 



THE GREYHOUND KENNELS. 



A. W. PURBECK, PROPRIETOR, SALEM, MASS. 



JJL 2JL JJL HL. 
W W 7V W 



Champion "Gem of the Season," 
AT STUD { Ornatus. 

Pious Pembroke, 

Puppies for sale, of all ages, from the most cele- 
brated Dams in the country. 



. . BREEDERS OF . . 

High-Class English Setters. 

Puppies usually on hand of the Rockingham-Donna Strain. 

AT STUD 
DOMINGO $25.00 | GLENDON $25.00 

Q. EDW. OSBORN, WILSON FISKE, 

New Haven, Conn. Plainfield, N.J. 




R. GIBSON, Delaware, 

Breeder Shorthorn Cattle, Shropshire Sheep, 
Berkshire and Yorkshire Swine. 



HOLYROOD KENNELS 

^K Contain nothins; but 

^X ROUGH COLLIES. 

• 1 NSTEAD of striving to breed several 

* _■'- varieties, they are content to lead 
in one. That thej' do so the various 
premium lists will testifv. 

More prizes liave been 

'won bv these kennels with dogs of 

their own breeding than has 
been by any other Collie 
Kennel on this continent. 

We have made the pedigree of prize 
winning Collies a study, and have en- 
deavored to inter-breed the successful 
strains,suchascombiningCharleniagne- 
Hastv lines with Charlemagne-Madge. 

(!gp°° Catalogues on application. 

R. McE"WBN, Byron, Ont. 

Breeder of 
Clvdesdale and Saddle Horses. 




OWNERS 



OF 



VALUilBLE 
DOGS 



SHOULD HAVE 



"ASHMONT'S BOOK" 



ON . . . 



THEIR CARE AND MANAGEMENT 



IN 



DISEASE. 



This is credited in America and Europe as THE BEST WORK 
ON THE SUBJECT EVER WRITTEN. 



<| FIRICE^ $S-00- [> 



J. L. THiVYEH I>UB. CO., 

248 Boylston Street, Boston, Mass. 



Pure Bred 



SCHIPPERKES 



HELD BY COMPETENT JUDGES TO BE 



The best adapted for House Pets. They are hand- 
some, stylish and hardy, and grand ratters. 

MR. FREDERICK W. CONNOLLY 

imports and breeds only the BEST, and has 
always a large stock on hand, 

Correspondence solicited. 

Office at 
Kennels at Field's Corner, 

Northampton, Mass. Dorchester, Mass. 



PRINCIPLES 

. . OF . . 

DOG TRAINING. 



ORIGINALLY 

"Dog Paths to Success." 

This is practically the second 

edition of the well known 

work of 

W. C PERCY 

(" Kit Killbird"). 



A PPRECIATING the merits of this book, and the great 
■^*- demand for it, the copyright was purchased by 

. . . ASHnOfiT . . . 

who carefully revised the text and made some important addi- 
tions. By the young novice for whom it is designed, it will be 
found a book of exceeding value. Price, Fifty Cents. 
Sent, postpaid, on receipt of price, by 

J. L. THAYER PUB. CO., 
248 BOYLSTON STREET .... BOSTON, MASS. 



Not a secret. 




There is no secret about the reason for the Foresl and 
Stream's popularity among the clog fanciers of the coun- 
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well-liked, respected journal. It gives the news. It 
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from personalities. It indulges in no backbitings. It is 
handsomely illustrated. If a paper of such characteristics 
will suit you. Forest and Stream should have your name 
on its subscription list. — ^ — 



RODf^CUNf 



CHAINED 

to Business? 
Can't %o Shooting? 
Do the next best thing- 

'ir^^^-^'^fl Fprest and Stream. 



If you want to buy, 
borrow, trade, or sell a 
dog — or a hundred 
dogs — you will do it 
most cheaply and ex- 
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greatest dog-selling agency in America. Send for rates ; 
they are low. 

We have sold thousands of Hammond's " Practical Dog 
Training; or. Training vs. Breaking " — a book for you if 
you want to train your own dog. Price, $i.oo. 

We are largest publishers of books on Out-door Sports. 
Send for our Illustrated Catalogue of Books on the dog, 
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Modern Training and Handling. 



BY B. WATERS (KINGRAIL). 



" It eclipses anything of the kind I have ever read." 
" It gives the very essence of the art." 
" A lover of dogs should not be without it." 
" Without doubt the best work of the kind ever published." 
" It leaves no point uncovered; all is made clear to the novice, and clearer 
to many of us professionals." 

"The only treatise on training and handling worthy of the name." 
"The best, in fact the only, book on the subject of training that is worth 
reading. It will be worth a hundred times its price to amateurs." 

"I cannot refrain from expressing my deepest admiration at the masterly 
rnanner in which so difficult a subject is handled. The .most complicated 
points of a dog's education are explained in language so simple and express- 
ive that a person who could not take a copy of the work and train a dog fit 
to suit the queen's taste, was evidently intended to fill some other sphere in 
life where the lack of brains would be the strongest recommendation." 

" We unqualifiedly pronounce it, in our opinion, the most perfect work of the 
kind ever given to the public. Mr. Waters is a practical, experienced trainer 
and handler, a thorough gentleman, scholar, and a most pleasing, logical 
writer. His experience in the field as asportsman, trainer, and also asa field 
trial judge, handler in, and reporter of, field trials, taken in connection with 
his finished education and polish as a writer, eminently qualified him for the 
task undertaken and which he has so perfectly accomplished. He handles 
the subject embraced in his book in a clear, logical and most convincing 
manner. He deals with the matter pertaining to training field dogs ihat vary 
in habits, disposition, temper, and intelligence, with perfect understanding of 
the subject, and furnishes a much-needed and lucid guide, which the most ex- 
perienced, successful trainers can study with profit." 



These are a few extracts from the many unsolicited testimonials, all of 
which are in the same happy vein, and concede that this book 

IS FAR AND AWAY IN ADVANCE OF ALL OTHERS ON THE 
SUBJECTS OF WHICH IT TREATS. 

PRICE, $2.00. 

Sent, postpaid, by 

J. L. THAYER PUB. CO., 

248 Boylston St., Boston, Mass. 



B LEMTON K ENNELS, 



HE/APSTEAD, L..I. 



FOX TERRIERS at STUD. 



THINNERS IN THE BEST COMPANY. 



Champion Blemton Victor II Fee $30. 

(A.K.C.S.B. 17919.) 
Winner of A.F.T.C. Grand Challenge Cup, New Vork, "92. 

Champion Lucifer (as in praesenti) . . Fee $20. 

(A.K.C.S.B. 5459-) 
Winner Fox Terrier Grand Challenge Cup, Newport, "87. 

Blemton R.\sper (A.k.c.s.b. 19660) . , . Fee $25. 

Sire, Champion Venio ; Dam, Champion Rachel.) 

Blemton Valour Fee $20. 

(A.K.C.S.B. 17920.) 

TO APPROVED BITCHES. 



Address 

BLEMTON KENNELS, 

HEMPSTEAD, L. 1. 



TO mm Of PEDIQREE D0G5 

MR. T. S. BELLIN, 

2[ Park Street, Albany, N.Y., 

Well known for the last twenty years in England as Judge, 
Breeder, and successful Exhibitor of Pedigree Dogs, is in a 
position to purchase and import dogs of all breeds at advan- 
tageous prices, having previous to leaving England made 
arrangements with one of the principal Judges to select and 
buy for him ; thus securing a genuine article, and satisfaction 
guaranteed. , 

AT ^TUr iBi^- 

Wire Haired Fox Terriers 

(THE COMING BREED). 

* *» JACK TRICK," sire '■ Rustic Trick," by " Carlisle Trick," by 
"Old Jester." Winner Brooklyn, Gloversville, etc. Also 

"CARLISLE CRIB," sire " Cribbage," by "Carlisle Trick." 
Winner Brooklyn, etc. Fee $10.00. 



Bull Terrier, 

** SUREFOOT," grandsire " Gully the Great," the best under 
30 lb. dog in England, and winner of thirteen consecutive prizes and 
specials at Birmingham, Liverpool, Bath, Crystal Palace, Agricultural 
Hall, etc. Fee $15.00. 



The only Magazine of the Rod and Gun. 




YEARLY, ONE DOLLAR 
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SINGLE COPIES, lOCtS. 



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Old North State Kennels, 



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nmm ai u 



-4U 



HORACE S^VITH, Prop. 



POINTERS and SETTERS thoroughly trained for 
field trials and private shooting. 




Dogs Handled at Field Trials. 

Breeding of pure ENGLISH SETTERS from bitches 
sired by field trial winners and bred to the most noted dogs. 

Puppies of the above breeding for sale. Warranted 
not to be gun-shy. 

BROOD BITCHES of the rarest breeding for sale. 

Will offer for sale, each year, a number of finely bred 
dogs, trained especially for gentlemen's private shooting. 

These dogs will be sent on approval and trial to 
responsible parties. 

Retrieving a specialty — warranted perfect. Prices 
reasonable. Send for pamphlet. 



We Love To ptudi] 






IF That Wbicb We Love. 

YOUR LOVE FOR YOUR DOG WILL 
MAKE THE STUDY OF HIS CHARAC- 
TERISTICS A DELIGHTFUL ONE. 



TS ].'ublished exclusively in the interests of the dog. Every 
X phase of dog life and every breed of dogs, — as found in 
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ADVERTISERS ^vill find Tbe D05 Fancier an 

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a graded discount scale, which will be sent on applica- 
tion. Address 

EUGEriE GL.ASS, 
Bzvttle CreeK» A\icbis:2vo, U.5.A. 



HEPBERI?^ KENNELS, 

IMPORTERS AND BREEDERS OF 

GREAT DANES 

(GERMAN STANDARD). 

/~\UR OBJECT is to have the best stock obtainable, that -will 
elevate the breed and do credit to our kennels. 

Ta"0 BREED OP DOGS has been so universally misunderstood 
as the GREAT DANE. Any short-coated large dog, -with 
cropped ears, of any type, has heretofore been styled a repre- 
sentative of this grand, noble, useful and companionable breed. 

"TTTE ARE continually on the lookout for the best breeding stock 
in Germany ; considering, firstly, such strains as have 
proven strongly inheritive, and, secondly, sho"w honors. 

TXTE DO NOT tolerate a Mastiff or Greyhound type, but a true 
type of the GREAT DANE with pronounced character. 

Address, 

A. H. HEPPNER, 
426 Produce Exchange, New York, N.Y. 

r. ANlNE SPECIALIST. 

Dr. T. G. SHERWOOD, 

(M. R. C. V. S.) 

854 Seventh Avenue, opp. Tattersal's, 
NEW YORK CITY. 

For five years Chief Assistant to A. Sewell, of London, Eng., 
recognized as the greatest authority in Europe. 

Consultation and treatment by mail, when possible. 
All communications requiring professional reply 
should have enclosed $2.00. 



HILLSIDE KENNELS 



Lancaster, Mass. 



Fox Terrier? 

IN THE STUD. 

Starden's King . .-. . . . $26 

* Brockenhurst Tyke ... 15 

* * — 

>|< Champion Raby Mixer . . 15 

Reckoner 15 

Puppies for sale by these well-known Terriers 
out of famous prize-winning matrons. 



5cotcb Deerboupds. 

Largest kennel of this breed in the world. 

Puppies for sale, by the Celebrated CHAMPION 
ROBBER CHIEFTAIN, out of Prize-Winning Dams. 

Address 

Hillside Kennels, Lancaster, Mass. 



COLLIES 

(The Best Kennel in America), 

RISH TERRIERS 

AND 

FOX TERRIERS, 

laired. 




FOR CATALOGUE 
STUD CARDS 
PHOTOS, &c., 

ADDRESS 

Chestnut Hill 
Chestnut 

Philad 



MERLE GRADY. 

Winner of Irish Terrier Juvenile Challenge Cup, 1891, 1st and special Derby, 1st Dariin<'- 
ton, 1st and special Leeds, 1st I-iverpool, and others. Fee $25.00. 

CHAMPION BOXER IV. 

1st Jackson, New York, Boston, Washington. 1st Challenge, Toronto, Kingston, Ottawa, 
1S92. Fee $15.00. 

HANOVER BOY. 

Full of Playboy blood. Has small, perfectly-carried ears. Winner of two Ists and an 
uiicropped special at Kennel Club Show, London. Fee $15.00. 

PUPPIES AND GROWN STOCK FOR SALE. 



WALTER J. COMSTOCK - Box 408, Providence, R,l. 

TUBBY HOOK KENNELS, 

LAWRENCE, LONG ISLAND, N.Y. 

BULL TERRIERS #" ENGLISH GREYHOUNDS. 

BULL TERRIERS AT STUD 

CHAMPION CARNEY 

(A.K.C.S.B.249S6), 

By " Gully the Great," out of " Rose." Weight, 42 lbs. Fee $25.00. 
1st Gloversville, 'gi. '92 — 1st Albany, equal 1st Chicago, 2d New York, 1st Philadel- 
phia, 1st Washington, 1st Pittsburgh, and 1st Boston. 

SAILOR 

rA.K.C.S.B. No. 27441), 
By " Spring," out of " Rose." Weight, 19 lbs. Fee $15.00. 
1st New York, '91. 1st and special Brooklyn, N.V., '92. 

TO APPROVED BITCHES. 
P.O. address to Kennel : P-O- address to Owners : 

A, B. McGregor. Manager, TUBBY HOOK KENNELS, 

Inwood, Long Island, N.T. 40 Broad St., New York, N.Y. 



HEATHER KENNELS 



DANDIE DINMONTS 



IN STUD. 



KING 0' THE HEATHER (Mustard), 

AMPHION (Pepper). 



"]"HE above Dogs are winners 
of firsts and specials in the 
best shows in Englancd ancJ the 
Bor(der. DancJie puppies for 
sale, both peppers an(d mustarcis. 



/f^ 



Edward Brooks, 

hyde park, mass. 



Tjfe 





READ 



The Amateur Sportsman. 

PUBLISHED MONTHLY AT 

ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR. 

Single Copy, Ten Cents. 
I F you are fond of hunting, fishing and canoeing, 
or are interested in natural history, fish culture, 
rifle and trap shooting, or the dog, you will find in 
THE AMATEUR SPORTSMAN interesting and 
instructive articles on these subjects, which will give 
you many hours of pleasant reading and much 
valuable information. 

THE AMATEUR SPORTSMAN CO. 
6 College Place, 

NEW YORK. 





BULL DOG, 

HEATHEN 

(By Champion Harper — Ashton Belle) 
IN STUD. 

HEATHEN was imported by Mr, James Mortimer, Oct.. 
1892, and is of rare good quality, as well as a grand stud 
dog. Fee $20.00. Address 

CHAS. A. J. SMITH, 

8 EXCHANGE PLACE, BOSTON, MASS. 

For THOROUGHBRED 

ENGLISH BEAGLE HOUNDS 

APPLY TO 

ROCKLAND KENNELS, 

H, L. KREUDER, Prop, NANUET, N.Y. 

ROUGH=COATED ST. BERNARD, 

r> A Q p r* D AT STUD. 

OMO I LL n — (4442, Pee $35.00. 

CASPER stands 33'/^ inches at slioulder, weighs 19S pounds. Get are invariably very 
large. Young stock on hand. 

GREAT DANES of correct type for sale. 

The celebrated Greyhound Champion, MASTER RICH, at stud. Fee $35.00. 

FRANK S. ANDERSON, 183 N. Peoria St., Chicago. 



English Bloodhounds 
AND Mastiffs. 



* * * * 

T WOULD particularly call attention to this ancient breed, the Eng- 
lish Bloodhound, so little known and so seldom seen in America. 
In connection with Mr. Brough. mv former ■ associate, I was 

the fii"st to introduce and establish this breed here. 



MY ENGLISH MASTIFFS 

are second to none. At all the principal shows, they are the win- 
ners when shown. 



A FEW CHOICE PUPS FOR SALE 

of my own breeding, able to win in the strongest company, also, 
particularly valuable for breeding purposes, having been bred with 
an object in view, not by guess. 

IN STUD. 

The finest bred and most noted stud and show dogs. 
* * * * 

J. L WINCHELU FAIR HAVEN, VT. 



ENGLISH The Largest and Best 

MASTIFFS. inArl. 



Dogjof finest breeding 2vnd first prize winner? 
.-n^^-^AT STUD^— — . 

Young Sto<:K always on band for sale. 

For stud cards, pedigrees, catalogues, etc., apply to 

CHAS. E. BUNN . . . PEORIA, ILL. 

^— ANCIENT AND MODERN :¥ 



SPANIEL KENMELS. 

,^ ^^,,^ f CHAMPION FASCINATION . . $25. 
AT STUD 

( CHAMPION KING OF OBOS . 15. 

THESE Kennels have won since September, 1891, to the 
present date more prizes than all of the Spaniel Kennels 
in America and Canada put together. This alone speaks for 
the breeding and quality of the Spaniels in this Kennel, and 
calls for no further comment. 

FIR5^T-CLASS STOCK ALWAYS ON HAND. 

Orders taken at any time to supply the very best of stock 
for bench, field or breeding purposes. 

All communications should be addressed 

G. BELL, Walker House, Toronto, Can. 



•^-^ 




Are discussed in every issue of the great magazine 
of Sport 



The best writers on each species of the Dog 
contribute articles replete with information not 
obtainable elsewhere ; and Field Trials, Fox 
Hunting, and Coursing are frequent topics of 
body articles, 

The Record pages each month devote liberal 
space to timely topics in kennel and loft. 

The illustrated articles on Dogs that appear In 
OUTI/H© are unequalled. 

Send for our Sportsman's Library, containing 
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There is no better advertising medium for your 
Kennel than OUTIN©. 

OUTiri© is $3.00 a year ; 25c. per copy. 
Ask your newsdealer for it or send for sample copy to 
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239 FIFTH AVE., NEW YORK. 



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THIS PLAN, WHICH IS COMPARATIVELY NEW, HAS MET WITH 
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Ao-ents and Oro-anizers should send for literature 
and terms, addressing 

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OFFICERS OF THE ASSOCIATION. 

GEO. A. HARPER, President. LEONARD J. BURTIS, Jr., Manager. 

CHAS. F. THOMPSON, Secretary. CHAS. H. BAKER, Treasurer. 

J. FRANK PERRY, M.D., Medical Director. 



* WANKIE * KENNELS * 

WEST MEDFORD, MASS. 

HEWRY BROOKS, Prop'r. .*. Jf\f\B3 E. CREE/H, /^an'r. 



TP GELEBPIED SGOTip TERRfEIlS 

(Imported 'from the Kennel of H, J, LUDLOW) 

" 1/1 1 DrW '' ^ Born June 2, 1890. A.K.C.S.B. 25089. 

I\l LliU Y • / Sire, Ch. "KILDEE." Dam, "BITTERWBED." 

Black brindle ; perfect head and ears; grand body, bone and legs; superb 
coat. Winner of I2 first prizes and 5 specials; twice winner of the 30-guinea 
Champion Cup in England; of ist and special Bostcjn; 1st and sjiecial To- 
ronto; and 1st and special Brooklyn, 1892. Stud Fee $25- 

"l/ll PDCC" " S Bo^'^ J^^y 12, 1890. A.K.C.S.B. 26242. 
IxlLUnLLi ^ Sire, Ch. "KILDEE." Dam, "ZEMBRA." 

Black brindle; perfect head and ears; grand body, bone, and legs; 
splendid hard coat. Winner of 6 first prizes and 4 specials; once winner of 
the 30-guinea Champion Cup in England, and second to " Kilroy " at To- 
ronto and Brooklyn. Stud. Fee $25. 

Born June 2, 1890. A.K.C.S.B. 22573. 
Sire, Ch. "KILDEE." Dam, "SHEILA." 
Brown brindle; good head and ears; grand body, legs, and feet; splendid 
harJ coat. Winner of 5 firsts and 3 second prizes. Stud Fee $15. 



kilbar; 



OUR BROOD BITCHES ARE — 

"CULBLEAN," winner of 8 Firsts and 4 Specials. 
"ZEMBRA," winner of 8 Firsts and 4 Specials. 
"THISTLEDOWN," winner of 9 ist and 2d prizes. 
"WANKIE DAISY," 2d to Culblean, at Brooklyn. 
"BRENHILDA," not yet shown. 



The above, with the exception of " Wankie Daisy," are all imported from 
England. It is our intention to have in the kennels the best stock that 
breeding and money can produce. We generally have a stock of young 
puppies on hand at moderate prices. 

For Pedigrees and further particulars, address 

>5f WEST MEDFORD, MASS. ^ 



COLLIES, 



IRISH SETTERS. 



I i 



ENGLISH PUGS 



Grown Dogs and Puppies 
For sale at all Times. 



AT STUD. 

Best in the World. All first-prize 
winners at New York, 1892. 



ADDRESS FOR 
Catalogue and Monthly Price-List, 

SEMINOLE KENNELS, 

CHESTNUT HILL, 

PHILADELPHIA, PA. 



OUR PRIZE DOGS. 

ILLUSTRATED WITH 31 PHOTOGRAPHS FROM LIFE. 

BY CHARLES H. MASON. 

588 Pages. Gold Stamp, Size 8 x 11. Sent Postpaid. Price, $3,50. 

The author, an Englishman, after gaining considerable notoriety as the 
exhibitor of various fine canine specimens, went over to America some few 
years ago, where his knowledge of dogs speedily attracted attention. This 
knowledge Mr. Mason has used to some purpose, if his memory survive alone 
througii "Our Prize Dogs." — The Field, London. 

We congratulate Mr. Mason upon having produced a work of such 
importance as to make it certain that canine posterity will have to count him 
among the chief kennel men of his day. — The Stock- Keeper-, London. 

Mr. Mason is by far the most competent all-round judge we have in this 
counlry to-day; and when such a man puts down his criticisms, as here given, 
they may well be studied with care and profit — the more care the more profit. 
— Forest and Stream. 

Undoubtedly the most valuable contribution to canine literature which 
has ever been published. — Philadelphia Press. 

TYPICAL DOCS. 

A series of 31 photographs from life of the handsomest champion dogs in 
America. Copies of these portraits on heavy plate paper, 11 x 14, suitable 
for framing, price 50 cents each, or $12.50 for the set of 31, postpaid. 



Lijt of Pl^Ltej. 



Bulldogs : Robinson Crusoe, Britomartis. 
Collies: Dublin Scot, Scotilla, Scotilla 
(head), Flurry II. Deerhounds: Chief- 
tain, Wanda. Greyhound: Mother Demdike. Italian Greyhound: 
Fannie. Mastiffs: Minting, Minting (head), Homer. Pointers: 

Bracket, Graphic, Revel III. PuG: Bradford Ruby. St. Bernards: Duke 
of Leeds, Otho, Hector, Leila. Setters: Rockingham, Cora of Wetheral 
(English), Royal Duke (Gordon), Tim (Irish). Spaniels: Obo II. (cocker), 
Newton Abbot Beau (field), Milwaukee Charlie (King Charles). Terriers : 
Count (bull), Bacchanal, Lucifer (fox). 

It is not too much to say of these portraits that they are the most satisfactory dog pictures 
yet published. When, in addition to their fidelity and finish of execution, the fact is consid- 
ered that the subjects are the dogs that among all those in America have been chosen by the 
best judge in this country as the nearest to the true type, their wide and inestimable value 
hftcom<ti.e.viAi.\\\..— Forest mui Sti-eam. Address all orders to 

CHAS. H. MASON, 

310 West 116th Street, NEW YORK. 



Qy- Dzvcbsunde w tbe Stud. /^. 

Champion Windrush Rioter. 

By Champion Maximus ex Polecat. 

J AY (Winner of 11 Firsts in England). 
By Champion Jackdaw ex Jealousy. 

Don Quixote II. 

By Champion Pterodactyl ex Champion Janet. 

Ichthyosaurus. 

By Champion Pterodactyl ex Jargonelle. 

Plethyosaurus. 

By Champion Pterodactyl ex Jargonelle. 

SUPERBUS 11. 

Bv Champion Superbus I. ex Champion Zither. 

Challenge Zulu IL 

By Champion Superbus 1. ex Champion Zulette. 

Gambolier. 

By Champion Windrush Rioter ex Lina K. 



BA55ETS. 

•: BENT •::• boaa^ •::• krooks 



The above are all Prize Winners. 
PUPS always on hand. 

^J^ EDW/VRD A. A\ANICE, 

"^I^ StocHbridgc, f^2i99' 



Imported Stud Pug. 

LORD CLOVER, 14005, 

A Winnur and Sire of Winners. 



CHAMPION CURTIS, 
21667, 

Sire of winning produce in the first litter of 
liis set. 

THI<: I^ROPKR']-Y OK 

THE FORT CLARK KENNELS, 

Direct Importers and Breeders of 

:E=»"cra-s. 

A.ldn: s 

THOS. I. BALLANTINE, 601 ELLIS STREET, PEORIA, ILLS. 




Richard Toon, I Chas. N. Symonds, 
216 Fitzwilliam St., 4 Dearborn St., 

Sheffield, England. I Salem, Mass., U.S.A. 

Anglo-Anierican-== 
==-Terrler Kennels. 

Importers, Breeders, and Exhibiters 

Irish, Scotch, Yorksliire, Fox, 

Black and Tan Terriers, 

Pointers, Greyhounds, and 

Whippets. 



Correspondence with either of the above, or 

Geo. S. Thomas, Manager in 

America, solicited. 

This Kennel contains stud dogs of these popu- 
lar breeds of the bluest blood, also brood 
bitches and young stock. 

MR. TOON will undertake to purchase and 
ship dogs for customers in America. 



WILLIAM PHILLIPS, 

The most ouccessful Exhibiter of 

TOY SPAN] ELS, 

LADIES' DOGS 

A SPECIALTY. 

Dogs Boarded and Conditioned. 

High Class Dogs and Birds 
for sale. 

1610 BROADWAY, 
New York. 



TEXAS FIELD. 

PDBLISHEL^ A-; S-AN A^TOKia TEXAS, 

E?SYOTEI!> TO THE II>^T£RS^'^ O- 

G U N . "/. " 1 E. A N ? ? O G. 



ASt^v'v- A-^ ."N AN? '"'-E ?E\A^ 



y^v^N^-^iiNiS -e^cfT ^no^fti^ ei^terta»«6ng sketches 
S.-C ttR^g- the a«d\er»tii.f>e-$ aftwi experiences that 
sre e>T;et wJth in thb v^st and b©wntiful gmme 
c^wntrj. tc»gether with the ifec^rvjs at the tra]f>, at 
the riifle ransjes, ancJ m the Kennels. 



S^Cl-SSC-' ■' ■ .^ '. PRICE. [ SxWlspl'^' CQf>Y af>:^ ^>K$«-ti; 










'SEMEHT^ 




/J. . . . 

WEEKLY 
JOURN/IL 



bEV2TEb 1 i 

T2 QENER/IL 



5 



F2RTINQ 



i 1 t ^ /inU5EnENT INTEREST. 



fyiPLISMEi) 
E¥E1T SiMlT'miKlb^Y 



o^ 



m\Wi 



3jW^^-wmMm.K 






TH2S. W. fllLLS HAS EDITORIAL CONTROL OF OUR KENNEL 
DEPARTMENT WHICH CONTAINS THE LATEST NEWS AND GOSSIP OF 
INTEREST TO OWNERS AND FANCIERS OF DOGS - 



ILLWIS KENNELS Immi 

KING LUD. 

A phenomenal young dog-, winner of ten first prizes when 
under three years old, beating Stanley, Pathfinder, Ch. Harper, 
Rustic Sovereign, Don Salano, Stockwell, Ashton Billy, etc 

CHAMPION HARPER. 

Champion British Monarch's best son, and winner of 45 prizes 
in England and America. 

CHAMPION BO'SWAIN. 

By Ch. GrabLer and litter brother to the celebrated bitches 
Ruling Passion and Saleni, also sire of Nobby Twist. 

PUPPIES USUALLY ON SALE. 

Address 

ILLWIS KENNELS . . . WILMETTE, ILLS. 
MY SPECIALTY: 

BLACK AND TAN 
TERRIERS 

of the highest quality and best blood only. 

\i/ \t/ \y 

A\ ~i\ /T\ 

A. W. SMITH - - BUFFALO, N.Y. 



SKYE TERRIERS. 



MRS. E. M. WILLIAMS, 

Crookham Villa, 
Fleet, Hants, England, 

owner of 

Champion Old Burgundy 



and noted 



Carlo III., 



has always grand stock for sale 
from prize bitches. 

Many testimonials from cus- 
tomers. 

MR. F. J. WOODS, 

Redruth, CornwalL England, 

Owner of the Black and Tan Manchester 
Terrier "COXOIEROB," and a rare team 
of FOX TEBKIERS, _ wire _ and smooth, 
which have won over thirty prizes and cups 
this season, always has some good ones of 
either sex and both breeds on hand for sale. 
(Sip^ Xo rubbish sent out. 



ITALIAN GREYHOUNDS. 

MISS H. M. MACKENZIE, 
of 59 West Smithfieid, 

LONDON, ENGLAND, 
owns the largest and most Tj^pical Ken- 
nel of Italian Greyhounds in the 
■world. Since February, 1S91, she has won 
the following prizes and specials: — two 
Breeders, two Stud, two Team, and Gold 
and Silver Medal of the Animals' Institute; 
two firsts, one special, and Silver Cup, Na- 
tional Dog Show, Birmingham ; first and 
special Kennel Club, and first Crafts, other 
prizes and specials too numerous to mention. 
A choice collection to select from, always 
on sale. 

SCOTCH TERRIERS 

KII.DEE, KILKOY, and KIL- 
C'KEE, cliosen for illustration in this 
book, were bred bv 

Mr. H. J. LUDLOW, 

GORLESTON, GT. YARMOUTH, 
NORFOLK, ENGLAND. 

Aside from tliese grand dogs, lie has 
bred many other noted prize winners. 

He has a very large ke'nne! of Scotch 
Terriers, of all ages, constanth" on sale, 
and will be pleased to correspond with all 
who contemplate purchasing. 



Russian Wolfhounds. 

Puppie? for jale, 

bred from dogs from the kennels of 
PRINCE GALITZIN, 

GRAND DUKE NICHOLAS, AND 

COL. DiTZ OF THE IMPERIAL KENNELS. 

Sires an<J 'd2vrrj5» Irpporte^ stocK» an<J the best 
specirpens of tbe bree«i in tt)i5 country. 

(See photo of "Groubian" in this book.) 



Address 



SEACROFT KENNELS, 

MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA, MASS, 




Tir ik 



BiiaiianmiaiiiiiiiiiiJiiiiiiiiiiiiijiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiijjiiiiiiiMiMiiii 

m SPORTSMAN'S DIRECTORY m 



i,Jri 'ZJ.S"7,J^ "^.JA i^~Z-^y-^ A^ .^ i^J-, ,^ A^, .^ _^ /^ /^ /^ i^ ^^ A^^yi^yi 

* * * ^ * Por 1 893 * * * * * 

~A^ ^^ v^^7 v-0-7 v^ ^-0? ~^ -^7 --^-7 -^ ^^yA-/ ^-A^ v-^-r ^-O-^ ^-A-r -Ay ,^ ,J\^ ,^ ,^ ,^ 



ILL BE THE HANDSOMEST ILLUSTRATED 
DOLLAR VOLUME EVER PUBLISHED IN 
AMERICA. 

It will contain a list of all kennel, hunting, specialty, 
field trial clubs, etc. ; about 1500 dog breeders, revised for 
1S93 ; shooting, fishing, athletic, bicycle, etc., clubs; cham- 
pionship records in all lines of sport ; superb illustrations of 
World's Fair Buildings, with sporting information ; Game and 
Fish laws ; biography, and many new features, making it 
invaluable to every lover of the Dog or Gun, 

The Directory in all Departments is brought down to 1893. 

Is your name there ? 

Sent, postpaid, on receipt of price, $1.00. 

POND & GOLDEY, Publishers, 

"TURF, FIELD & FARM " OFFICE, 
.... , P. O. Box 1907, 

Milwaukee, 

Wis. Times Building, N.Y. 



nGmpsiGSd r3rm islm^, new york. 

BOARDING, TRAINING, AND 

CONDITIONING OF DOGS. 

The Hempstead Farm 

boards dogs at reasonable rates. Trains Pointers and Setters for field trials and 
ordinary shooting. Trains Collies for sheep herding. House-breaks pet dogs. 
Conditions, enters and handles dogs for exhibitors who cannot attend bench shows. 

Will Examine and Purchase 

all breeds of dogs on commission. 

At Stud and For Sale 

Pointers, Collies, Fox Terriers (Smooth and Wire Hair), English Retrievers, Irish 
Terriers, Bull Dogs, Dachshunds, Barzois (Russian Wolf Hounds), Caniche 
Poodles, etc. 

... IN THE STUD ... 

(CHAMPION DUKE OF HESSEN. 
POINTERS {CHAMPION ROBERT LE DIABLE. 
(*SANDFORD DRUID. 

(*CbNRAD II. 
COLLIES <*WOODMANSTERNE TREFOIL. 
( HEMPSTEAD ZULU. 

wire-haired fox terrier .... SUFFOLK TOBY. 

IRISH TERRIERS {:S^4Nui.°^- 
BULL DOG *WAL HAMPTON. 

dachshund *TACK. 

* The dogs marked with an asterisk were purchased by Mr. Mortimer, and are all, with 
the exception of Sandford Druid, winners in England. Sandford Druid has never been 
exhibited, but ran fourth in the English Kennel Club Pointer Derby before he was twelve 
months old. 

THE PURCHASING OF DOGS ON COMMISSION. 

iyj"R. JAMES MORTIMER, whose recent visit to England has given him^ unusual facili- 
■^ ties for the acquirement of thoroughbred dogs, will undertake the selection and buying 
of dogs for intending purchasers, who will thus have the benefit of the knowledge and experi- 
ence gained by him while there, of wh'ich the English Stock-keeper says: " He has attended 
our best shows, inspected our crack dogs, and met all the sorts and conditions of men who 
compose our kennel world. He returns with a knowledge of English doggy matters that no 
visitor from the other side has ever before had the time, or taken the trouble to acquire, and 
he now probably knows as much about our affairs as he does about what is going on in 
America. He is au cmirant in two kennel worlds." 

Our training quarters for Field Dogs are located in North Carolina, and are in charge of 
that well-known trainer, Angus Cameron, who formerly trained for R. P. Llewellyn, Esq., 
and A. P. Heywood-Lonsdale, Esq., of England. 

For further particulars address 

JAS. MORTIMER, M'g'r., 

Hempstead, Long Island, N.Y. 



Designers, 

Illustrators, 
Engravers, 

Printers. 

ALMOST EVERYTHING CAN BE ILLUSTRATED 
AT A REASONABLE COST BY ONE OF OUR 
PHOTO-ENGRAVING PROCESSES. WE USE 
ONLY THE BEST METHODS. 
WE HAVE OUR OWN DESIGNERS, AND OUR 
OWN PRESSROOM, AND ARE PREPARED TO 
ILLUSTRATE AND PRINT FINE BOOKS AND 
CATALOGUES. THE HALF-TONE ILLUSTRA- 
TIONS IN THIS BOOK WERE ENGRAVED AND 
PRINTED BY US. 

The Art Publishing Co., 

132 BOYLSTON STREET, 

HOME OFFICE AND WORKS, DrkCT/^M 

GARDNER, MASS. dUoIUIN. 



•^<^ POLAND, ^"e/^ 



ME. 



English Greyhounds. 

Bench and field winners, embracing all the 
fashionable lines of breeding. 

Foxhounds. 

The best representatives from all the leading 
strains in America. 

Also drafts from the leading English packs. 

. — i 

Unexcelled facilities for rearing and training 
young stock for practical work. 

Orders booked for young stock. 

Address . . . 

WHITE OAK HILL KENNELS, Poland/ Maine, 

or 
N. Q. POPE, 241 Park Place, Brooklyn, N.Y. 



H, CLAY GLOVER. D.V S.. 

A\l> 

A. C. FRENCH, M.R.C.V.S., 

"THE only Specialists in Canine Practice in the U. S. 
ATTACHED TO MANY OF THE LARGE KENNEL 
CLUBS. 

DOGS AT A DISTANCE TREATED BY MAIL. 

Letters requiring advice must be accompanied by a fee 
of $2,00 to insure attention. 

Office and Laboratory, 
1293 BROADWAY .... NEW YORK. 



lOLANTHE * KENNELS. 

AT STUD. 
, . . FOX TERRIER . . . 

vA.K.C.S.B. 27800.) 
"RIPON STORMBR," E.K.CS.B. 2S^5o. By ^' Stipenaiary," 
Daixi ''Belmont |inay." Winner o( muny prizes, including Fir^t and 
Special at Brooklyn, iSgi, beating Champ. '^Raifie." Fee $60. 

, , . BULL DOG . . . 

(A.K.C.S.B. 27799.) 
*' RUSTIC SOVEREIGN," K.K.C.S.B. 39753. By Champion 
>' Rustic Kinsj," Dam "' Grizzle " (own sister to Champ. Rustic Model, 
Rustic Lass,' and Rustic Hero). Winner of ^7 Firsts, Cups- and 
Specials. Fee $25. 

. . . IRISH TERRIER . . . 

(A.K.C.S.B. 27802.) 
"JACKANAPES," E.K.CS.B. 38103. By Michael (sii-e of 
Champ. -^ Brickbat '0> I^ara ••Totterina." Winner of 31 prizes. 
Fee $25. 

J. W. E. CLARKE, Manager, SARATOGA SPRINQS, N.Y. 



(.ft Si . 

.... ,11 



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